Travelling: Hoenn
by razor.the.red
Summary: A Hoennshipping story, based off the game's storyline. Follow Brendan, May and Wally, our three heroes, as they travel across Hoenn. BrendanxMay, if you know where to look! Lotsa crossovers later on.
1. Brand New Day

**Travelling: Hoenn - A Pokemon adventure**

**Summary:** A Hoennshipping story, based off the game's storyline. Follow Brendan, May and Wally, our three heroes, as they travel across Hoenn. BrendanxMay, if you know where to look! Lotsa crossovers later on.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon.

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The first...dozen or so chapters of this fic were written during a boring holiday in France. At that time, I couldn't check or any other website. If you think that some parts of my fanfic look a damn lot like parts of your own fanfic(s), then I apologise. I really tried not to use any part of any other fanfic (only Muddy and Flame's names sprang from the general...community hivemind, I believe), but if you believe I have somehow crossed you, please, do tell.

This story is based on the Game Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire, not the anime-series.

**Words of thanks:** Neo Namco, DarkAngelTorchick and Ice-Phoenix-chan for helping me get the fic posted - you really helped out my younger self.

Thank you, reviewer, for brightening my day with one of those lovely Review Alert messages. They give me the incentive to write more.

And, of course, thank you reader - for reading my fanfic. Hope you enjoy it!

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**CHAPTER 1: BRAND NEW DAY**

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The truck was riding down to Littleroot town. If you listened carefully, you could hear the occasional swearing coming from the back of the truck.

A box fell.

"Damn!" a certain young man scowled.

Another box rolled, bumping against a leg.

"Ow!" the same white-haired boy grunted.

His hair ended in large spikes, held up by a black headband. He wore a black-red sweater and fingerless yellow gloves. His pants where black with a yellow ending, and he wore red-black sneakers. You should know who I'm talking about.

"Latios, if this isn't going to stop soon, I..." the boy gritted, just as the truck's wheels came grinding to a halt.

A blinding light shone from the door as it slid open, revealing the truck's cargo – the mentioned before, as well as tons of furniture. Brendan jumped out of the truck, seeing two Machoke walking in and out of the house holding heavy-looking boxes.

"I hope don't mind having to sit in the back." his mother, who shall from now on forever be known as 'mom', spoke as she gave her son a hug. "Come on in, and take a look at your new room!" she exclaimed.

"And don't forget to take a look at your new clock!" Brendan heard her call after him as he climbed the stairs. Upstairs, his stuff was already unpacked.

"Stupid clock" Brendan muttered as he tried to set his clock. He looked at his room and saw what was missing. No sound of waves crashing, no seagulls, only some stupid bird pokémon. No sea, like in his hometown.

Depressed and scowling like any boy his age'd ought to, Brendan moved back downstairs.

"Sweetie, come and meet our new neighbours!" came the voice of mom, sailing through the living room.

Squinting, Brendan saw his mother talk with another woman through the window.

"Oh yes, our son is 16 as well! I'm sure they will get along fine!" he heard her squeal.

"Why don't you come round for tea at two o'clock?" came the offer, equally high-pitched in a way only housewives could.

"Sure, we'll do that!" came the response.

As the new neighbour took her leave, Brendan was nervously fumbling in the kitchen. "Why should I go and meet some girl I don't even know? I don't want to go, I never wanted to leave Vermillion in the first place!" he muttered angrily. His mother simply raised one eyebrow – she was going to have none of it.

– – – – –

Half an hour later, Brendan found himself standing in front of his neighbour's door.

"Hi! Come on in!" were the only comprehendable words Brendan picked up, before his mom and the neighbour started to converse. If anything, it sounded like Russian to Brendan.

"May is upstairs" mom quickly translated.

Thus, Brendan went up the stairway, noting that this building's design as _eerily_ similar to his own – probably one of those massive building projects? As he walked into the only room upstairs, he noticed that this room looked exactly like his own, save the pokédolls and clothing lying on the floor. On the other end of the room sat a brown haired girl...

"Hi – um, My mom- um, I mean- your mom-" Brendan stumbled, before simply stating "Name's Brendan. You must be May?"

The girl, who until now accidentally (or on purpose) ignored him and was staring at a computer-screen, turned around. She wore a red bandana over her brown hair. She also wore a red T-shirt with very short sleeves, black shorts, white-red gloves, and the same kind of sneakers Brendan had.

"Guess I am!" she said cheerfully, waving one hand in his direction.

"You're a trainer?" she immediately asked, getting up from her seat and taking a good look at Brendan.

"What? Um... no. Not yet." the white-haired teenager replied, unsure where that question had come from.

Curiously eyeing him, May moved closer, while firing off more questions. "Where you from?"

"Vermillion city, in Kanto."

"Never heard of that place." Brendan heard May say, as she walked right past him, heading downstairs. Not wanting to stay behind, Brendan soon followed.

"Mom, Brendan and I are going to visit dad! I'll be back before dinner!" May said, opening the front door.

A few minutes later, they were walking down a road.

"So wait - why're we going to visit your dad?" Brendan asked while rushing after this awkwardly cheerful girl, trying not to sound overly curious.

"Don't you know? My dad is professor Birch! We're going to get you a pokémon!" May responded with a bright smile, while patting the red chick-like pokémon perched on her shoulder.

"Wait... you're a Trainer?" Brendan uttered as something began to dawn on him.

"You figured that out all by yourself?" May answered with a bit of a frown, putting her hands against her hips. How could anyone be this dense...?

"Well, um, I..." Brendan coughed, realising he was making a fool out of himself.

Obviously, since May had already lost interest and was instead, staring at something on the floor.

"Oh look! A Wurmple!" she yelped, running towards the little pokémon, who in his turn fled into a tree. "How cute! Just look at him!" the brunette squealed, starting to climb that very same tree, chasing after the Bug-type.

Brendan, however, wasn't paying attention: he had heard a noise – where'd it come from?

...someone yelling?

"...May, I think someone is calling for help!" Brendan called out, looking up at the thick tree vegetation in which May had disappeared.

No response. Damn.

Cursing his own tendencies to be the good guy, Brendan started to run towards the screaming.

Reaching a clearing in the otherwise dense forest area, he saw a man being chases by a black, dog-like pokémon.

"Get a pokéball from my bag and help me!" the currently being hunted man screamed, protecting his buttocks from further bite marks.

Responding on instinct, Brendan snatched a ball from the discarded bag laying close by, and threw it – out came a blue fish-like (though it _had_ legs) pokémon.

"Mud...mudkip." it yawned, which roughly translated to "Beware, ye who disturbs my sleep."

"Mudkip?" Brendan muttered, delving into his non-existant knowledge of pokémon attacks. "Let's see... Mudkip, Tackle!"

At once, the Mudkip leapt forward, tackling the dog pokémon, who in turn started to growl.

"Another Tackle!" Brendan ordered. The Mudkip simply puffed, deeming his opponent unworthy of so much as a second glance. Bashing his forehead into the opponent's face, the Mudkip sent the dog-like Poochyena flying.

"Never thought Id get away..." the man sighed, cleaning his forehead with handkerchief. "Thanks for saving me, young man – I'm professor Birch." Birch said, as he shook Brendan's hand.

And at that moment, May came running towards them, carrying a knocked out Wurmple. "Look what I've caught!" she yelped, holding her newly acquired trophy high.

"I see you've met my dad! Dad, this is Brendan" she then spoke, introducing the white-haired trainer to Birch while hugging the fainted insect-pokémon. "We were searching for you, actually."

Brendan, at a loss for words, could only stumble a simple "Umm..." while May's father threw his hands up into the air.

"May, why didn't you come here earlier? Didn't you hear your father call for help?" Birch asked in bewilderment, inspecting the bite marks left by the Poochyena in his coat.

"Nope. Didn't hear anything. Why'd you need help? You've got Mudkip and Treecko with you, right?" she shot right back at him.

The professor, starting to get both red and angry, pointed to his torn lab coat, as if it were self-explanatory. With a sigh, he then added "Um... well, in any case, Brendan, you can keep that Mudkip... Thanks again... Bye." while lifting his bag, then proceeding to walk away, chasing after a Zigzagoon.

"Mud? Mud...i? Ip?" the Mudkip asked as he sat down near Brendan's leg – something to the extent of "When're we going to eat?"

"Sure!" Brendan beamed, "That's a fine name for you, Muddy! Do you like it?"

Muddy's only reaction consisted of "Ip ip kip?", basically "What's a Muddy? Can you eat a Muddy?"

"No, you fool, it's your new name!" Torchick replied with a sigh, shaking her head, "You always were a slow one..." the fire-type added, though all Brendan and May could hear was "Tor...Torchick."

"...wait, you can understand what he said?" May asked, having followed the conversation between Brendan and his new pokémon.

"Sure! Can't you?" a grinning Brendan replied, despite having understood nothing of what Muddy had just said.

"Chick." Torcking sniffed, her version of the word "freak."

Looking at her watch, May gasped "Damn, it's already five o'clock! And we still have to walk all the way home!", initiating a sprint back towards Littleroot.

"Is she paranoid or something?" Brendan asked the newly named Muddy while lifting him up, planting the water-type on top of Brendan's head.

"Kip...mud." was Muddy's only reaction, yawning and then trying to catch some sleep as his trainer began to run.

After some detours and getting lost twice, the two trainers arrived back at Littleroot. In the meantime, Muddy had fallen off Brendan's head three times, and had developed some odd coloured bruises on his head. Brendan quietly returned the sleeping pokémon to his pokéball.

Tiptoeing into his new home, the white-haired trainer listened. Nothing. It seemed that his mother was already sleeping. He took some leftovers from the fringe, and sneaked up to his room. There, he hid Muddy's pokéball between his old socks, ate the leftovers, and read a bit in the latest 'Pokémon Unlimited' (Muddy: A magazine with a wicked Swampert on it's cover!) before going to bed.

That night, Brendan dreamed of being chased by a huge ship sailing out of Vermillion's port.

"Dammit," Muddy groaned, turning around inside of his pokeball, "The guy snores!"

– – – – –

Reviews! Please?


	2. The Next Morning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon.

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**CHAPTER 2: THE NEXT MORNING...**

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The next morning, Brendan woke up having had a good night's sleep (Muddy hadn't). He opened the drawer containing his socks. He tried to look at his socks, but he couldn't. Since his socks weren't in the drawer. "Mom, do you know where my socks are?" Brendan yelled downstairs. "I've put them in the washing machine!". "Crap!".

Brendan ran downstairs, rushed into the washing room, and opened the washing machine. `Muddy! Where are you?" Brendan yelled, while searching between his underwear. "Kip?"."Muddy! I can hear you! Where are you?". "Kip... mudmudkip!*I'm up here on the cupboard!*". "Don't be scared! I'll find you!" Brendan yelled, looking into the washing machine. "*Idiot...*".

After searching for another five minutes in the water, Brendan stood up and found Muddy's pokéball lying on the cupboard. "Damn!". After half an hour containing showers, questions from his mother, talks about Brendan being reckless and in puberty, _and _a lot of cleaning, Brendan left the house, gnawing on a sandwich and carrying a bored and complaining Muddy on his shoulder (Muddy didn't fall off! Wow!). Though Brendan couldn't actually understand what Muddy was saying, he soon came up with a translation. "Yes, I think visiting Prof. Birch would be a good idea.". On his way towards Birch's laboratory (the only big building in town), he met May. "Hi! How's your Mudkip?" she asked. "Oh, fine, I guess...".

When they both entered the lab, Birch came running towards them. "Aww... you two would make a fine couple..." he said, clasping his hands together. Both Brendan's and May's head began to change colour. "We are not a couple!" they said in union. "But... ah, forget it. Here, I've just received this in the mail." he said, handing them pokédexes. "If you see new pokémon, you can check on them with this device. Since you both are Trainers...". Brendan: "I am?". May: "You bet you are!". "But...". "But what?". "Um...". "Hm?". "I mean...". "Eh?". "Crap!". "Mudkip!*Where is the toilet?*". "Riiight...". Birch: "Ahum, you two, could you please continue this outside?". "But dad, you started this discussion!" May replied against an already fleeing Prof. "Too bad. Well, I guess I'll be heading home, then." Brendan said, lifting a angry looking Muddy. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, when we go to Petalburg!" May answered while walking away. "Going to... what?".

When Brendan came home, his mother immediately started talking about tomorrow, when he and May _should_ go to Petalburg and see his father. "But who arranged all of this?". "Me and May's mother, of course!". "But... why?" Brendan asked, while kicking his backpack, containing a very annoyed Muddy. "Well, since you two make such a great couple...". Laughing came out of the bag. Brendan's mother, noticing that the bag was shaking, opened it and pulled out a hysterically laughing Muddy. "Eh mom... Meet Muddy… Muddy, meet my mom…". Muddy looked at Brendan's mother. Brendan's mother looked at Muddy. Muddy used Water Gun. Mom ducked. Brendan didn't. "Damn!".

Later, Brendan took a shower (again), and Muddy ate his lunch (which took about an hour). Muddy was officially introduced to the house (not just the drawer containing socks and the washing room) and managed to make it to the toilet in time. The next day, when Brendan woke up, he found Muddy in a drawer wearing earplugs (don't ask me how he wears them). At 8 o'clock, he walked out of the house carrying a yellow backpack and a (still) sleeping, ear plugged Muddy on his shoulder. After waiting for about ten minutes, May came walking out of her house, fastening a bag to her belt, causing the Torchick and Wurmple on her shoulders to fall off.

After exchanging greetings and talks 'bout stupid parents who arranged stupid things, they began walking towards Oldale Town.

As they left Littleroot, they saw a giant green snake-like pokémon fly high above them. "Ain't this a cliché..." Brendan said, just before tripping over a rock.


	3. Chips 'n Snow

DISCLAIMER: I do not own pokémon! Nor do I own dandruff! (well, I've _got_ dandruff, but I don't own it).

CHAPTER 3: CHIPS 'N SNOW

That evening, they arrived in Oldale Town. Brendan and May bad both defeated a Bug Catcher. Muddy had managed to defeat a Wurmple by drooling. The Wurmple slipped on the drool, and landed on his back, unable to turn around. Flame (May's Torchick) simply burned the enemy Wurmple to a crisp.

"Where should we go now?" Brendan asked, seeing that it was getting dark. "To a Pokémon Centre, of course!" May replied. Inside the Centre, they left their pokémon for a medical check-up, (Muddy was still asleep) and then went out to get something to eat. "Let's see.." May murmured, looking at a map. "Down there is café _The thirsty Numel_..." she said, pointing her finger at a small dot on the map. "And there..." ,she turned the map ninety degrees, "...is _Le Maison Gastronomique_... What's that? Hey Brendan, do you know what... Brendan? B-boy? Latias, where the hell did he go?".

At that moment, Brendan came walking around the corner, holding a bag of chips with mayonnaise in each hand. "In the time that you where locating us, I bought these at the chip shop over there." he said, handing her one of the bags. Turning red, she quietly accepted the chips and started walking towards the Pokémon Centre again. Without talking (they where eating, remember?), they arrived at the Centre. Inside, they retrieved their pokémon. May started to feed her Wurmple some chips.

"Kip kip mud mudkip?Why are we suddenly in this town?". "Tor... chick chick tor!You've slept all day long! It's evening!". "Mudkip, kip?I've slept all day long? I thought this was breakfast!" Muddy replied, confused.

After realising that his current meal was probably more then usual breakfast, he started eating. Later that evening, after finishing their meals and getting a room key, they got into their bunk beds, and went to sleep (Brendan didn't snore!).

May opened her eyes. It was snowing. In a field of flowers. White flowers. With headbands. What the...

May _really_ opened her eyes. She saw the back of Brendan's head hang out of the bed above hers.

Shit! That guy has dandruff! She silently stood up, and stepped onto her bed. She looked at Brendan, who was sleeping, and smiled. She grabbed Brendan's headband with two fingers, and pulled his head towards the middle of his bed.

Ew! She noticed that her own bed (and a part of the floor) was now covered with things that looked like snowflakes. Ew again!

Brendan began to move. May quietly slipped back into her bed, trying to avoid contact with any 'snow'. She turned around, facing the wall, and closed her eyes.

Brendan opened his eyes (really). He had just dreamed about that boat again, except this time, it wore a red bandana. He awoke just after the boat sailed against his head. He sat up straight, stumbled out of bed (well, he fell) and looked around. Seems like May's still sleeping...

He stared at her for about thirty seconds before he heard something. "What are you looking at?". Brendan turned around. "Mudkip?" Muddy said, yawning. Did he just say something? Nah, he can't... Brendan grabbed a towel, soap and shampoo from his bag. Then, he went to the showers.

Muddy opened his eyes (I swear, really!). He saw that white-haired freak. Looking at the girl with the weird red thing on her head. "What are you looking at?" he asked, yawning. The white-haired freak looked at him, eyebrows frowned, grabbed some stuff from his bag, and left the room. Muddy yawned again, and tried to sleep some more.

Flame opened her eyes. She looked around. Snow! Everywhere, snow! Yay!

"Zeal! Wake up!". Zeal (Wurmple) didn't open his eyes, since he was covered in snow. After Flame dug him out, they began to make a snowman. As soon as the snowman got a hat (Brendan's shoe), Flame threw a snowball at Zeal. Zeal ducked, rolled, and took cover. The fact is, that Muddy _was_ the cover. "Chick!in your face!". "What the f... f... fried chicken!" Muddy sputtered. "you calling me chicken?" Flame hissed. "No...This snow. It tastes like... fried chicken!" Muddy spoke, puzzled.

"Wurm wurmple!Guys, I don't think this snow is snow...". "Who cares? It's breakfast time!" Muddy said, as he began to lick down the snowman.

Later, when Brendan had finished having a shower, May had slept some more, the room had been cleaned by a hungry Muddy and they all had breakfast (including Muddy) , they continued their way to Petalburg.


	4. Hospital

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

CHAPTER 4: HOSPITAL

Muddy had turned green. On the way to Petalburg, he had defeated some Wurmple, a Taillow, a Zigzagoon and a Poocheyena (owned by some Bug Catchers and a Lass) by simply looking at them. Due to the looks of him and his (foul) odour, all of his opponents either fainted, ran away, or, in case of the Taillow, fell down from a tree. Flame had (again) set her opponent aflame. Just before they entered Petalburg, May was challenged by a(nother) Bug Catcher. "Let's make it a two-on two Battle!" he said. "Okay, I choose Zeal!" May yelled, as Zeal walked (crawled?) forward. "A Wurmple? Go, Taillow!" the Bug Catcher screamed. "Taillow, use Peck!". Taillow dove towards the Wurmple. "Zeal, us String Shot!". "Wurm!". Wurmple then began to shoot thin, sticky strings at his opponent. The Taillow, still diving, was hit and couldn't flap his wings anymore. He crashed into the ground. "Zeal, Tackle him!" May ordered. Zeal then charged at Taillow. Using some kind of wrestling-technique, he landed on top of the Taillow, who fainted. "Damn! I choose you, Poocheyena!" the B.C. yelled, returning his defeated Taillow and sending out the sharp-fanged dark type. Due to the Poocheyena´s Intimidate power, Zeal got frightened and started to climb up a tree. Poocheyena, unable to climb trees, started to batter the tree. Zeal held on for dear life. But the branch he was resting on, began to break. "Stringshot again!" May commanded. Zeal again shot sticky strings, this time at Poocheyena. The Poocheyena tripped over. Just after that, the branch occupied by Zeal broke. "Wurmple!Geronimo!" Zeal yelled as the branch landed on Poocheyena.

"I won! I won!" May screamed, starting a victory dance with Zeal. "She won! She won!" Flame told Muddy, who was now lying on his back, making strange gurgling noises. "She won! She won!" Brendan thought. Well, actually he just thought "She won.".

The B.C. silently returned his Poocheyena, handed May some money, an headed for the Pokémon Centre. Brendan lifted Muddy (holding him at a arm's length) and started to walk to the Pokémon Centre, too. May closely followed, hugging Zeal to death (Flame just sat on her shoulder).

Arriving at the Centre, Brendan immediately asked a nurse check on Muddy. Muddy wasn't green anymore. It looked more like yellow, now.

While Muddy was undergoing medical treatment, May fed her pokémon, and Flame got hiccups. Which was quite a burning problem, since every fifteen seconds or so a fireball emitted from her beak.

After more than an hour, in which both May and Brendan had called home, a nurse came walking towards Brendan, holding a peacefully sleeping Muddy in her arms. But before Brendan even stood up, he got smacked against the back of his head by another nurse.

"How could you? How could you do this to him?" an outrageous nurse screamed. "Why did you feed him that? It almost got him killed!" she continued. May and Zeal, who found this a lot more amusing then a Torchick with hiccups, turned around and watched. "What did I feed him?" Brendan asked. "Pokémon food?" he whispered. Another smack against the back of his head. "Liar! I know what you've fed him! Fried chicken! Three whole fried chickens! Didn't you know he was allergic to chicken?". Flame, now done with hiccuping, started to scream, too. "Amen, sister! Why did he feed him chicken? Don't feed nobody no chicken! Chickens have feeling, too! We will throw off our chains, and be free! Chickens of the world, unite!".

Unfortunately for Flame, the humans didn't understand a thing. They only saw a screaming Torchick running between their legs.

A little while later, Brendan was holding Muddy in his arms. The back of his head had been hit several times by a hand, and one time by a beak, when he accidentally stepped on Flame (who was preaching 'bout unity).

At least he got his pokémon back.


	5. Petalburg Showdown

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nor do I own the Matrix.

Finally, Wally appears. No, I'm not gonna do any Wally-bashing. Well, maybe a little… but not now.

CHAPTER 5: PETALBURG SHOWDOWN

It was still two o'clock, so they went to Petalburg Gym, to see Brendan's dad. Upon entering the gym, Brendan was welcomed by Norman, his father. "Hi sports! Great to see you here! And who is this young lady? You're not single anymore, are you, Brendan?" he said, grinning. In the blink of an eye, Brendan's face was tomato-red. So was May's. "We are not a couple!" they yelled against Norman's back. Who wasn't paying attention to them. We was greeting the pokémon.

"So this here is Muddy, that's Zeal, and you are... Flame, correct?" Norman said, patting Flame on the head. "How do you know their names?" May asked. But on that moment, the door opened.

A boy walked in. He looked like 13, 14 years old. He had green hair, wore a white vest, and brown pants. His shoes where some sort of dark-blue. "Um, mister Norman, a while back you promised to help me catch my first pokémon... um... maybe... do you have time?". Until then, the boy didn't notice Brendan and May. When he looked around, he gave Brendan a 'who the hell are you?' look, and then he saw May. Oh boy.

He stared. And he stared some more. Since May was still talking to Norman, she didn't notice. Brendan, on the other hand, did notice. He looked at the green-hair guy, at May, and back again. May still didn't notice. She lifted Zeal and started petting him. "Kip. Mudkip kip.Those two are both staring at her. Scary, isn't it?".

Norman bent down and asked Muddy: "Does Brendan often look at her like that?". "if you mean white-hair, yes, quite often. By the way, how can you understand what I'm saying?". Norman: "This is just another lame fanfic, it isn't real. You and I can communicate since the writer wants it.". "Riiight... as long as you don't start talking 'bout red/blue pills and the One, I don't care.".

At this moment, green-hair decided to stop staring. He repeated his question and even added a extra "eh..." at the end. This time, Norman answered. "Sure." he said. He gave him two pokéballs, one empty, and the other one containing a Zigzagoon. Then he advised him to go to Route 102 and search for pokémon there.

The Gym's doors slammed open. "Brendan and May, why don't you two go with him?" Norman asked, seeing that another trainer entered the gym. "I think I have a new challenger..." Norman said, taking out a pokéball. When they arrived at Route 102, the green-hair guy started to search in the grass.

-Back in the Gym- The trainer walked towards Norman. He showed him a box, containing all the badges needed for the Hoenn Pokémon League. Only the Balance Badge was missing. The trainer grinned, and grabbed one of his pokéballs.

-Back in Route 102- "What's your name, anyway?" Brendan asked, while walking through the tall grass. "It's Wally. Mr. Norman already told your names, Brendan and May, right?". Brendan nodded.

"Hey guys! Look what I've found!" May screamed. Running towards her, they saw it. A Ralts (Surprise!). "Go, Zigzagoon!" Wally yelled, throwing a pokéball. The _empty_ pokéball.

"Idiot! You threw the wrong ball!" Brendan said. The empty pokéball flew in a straight line towards Ralts, and hit him on the head, knocking Ralts out. The pokéball then captured Ralts. "Yay! I captured a Ralts!". Wally started a victory dance. To bad he couldn't dance. Flame and Zeal soon started dancing, too. "Chick chick tor?Why are we dancing?". "Wurmple wurm!I don't know! But it's fun!".

After another polonaise and Flame's tap-dance, they headed for Petalburg (again).

Walking towards the gym, they heard a explosion. So, they ran into the gym. Inside, a battle was taking place. Norman was facing a guy who looked like 15, 16 years old. He had blond hair which almost reached his shoulders. The hair on his left forehead was dyed red. Blond hair covered the right half of his face. He wore an open black jacket with yellow stripes and blue edges, and a red shirt underneath. Dark-blue pants with red endings and red-yellow shoes finished it.

"Blade, return!" he yelled while returning a pokémon, invisible due to a dust cloud. He grinned.

"Now you're mine! Go, Destroyer!". The pokéball flew through the air, and released a huge, raging Nidoking.

"Destroyer, use Megahorn!" the trainer ordered. Norman, using a Slaking, ordered to grab Nidoking's horn. So Slaking did. "Destroyer, use Iron Tail!". The Nidoking turned, Slaking still holding his horn, and slammed his tail against Slaking, who let go. "Take distance! Use Fire Blast!". Nidoking jumped backwards, breathed deep, and released a huge fireball. Slaking couldn't avoid, and got burned. "Finish it! Double Kick!".

Nidoking charged towards Slaking, who was at the end of his power. With the first kick he made Slaking go upwards. Putting one forepaw on the ground, Nidoking lifted his rear body in the air and kicked again. Slaking flew through the air, and crashed into a wall, leaving a huge crater. Nidoking roared. "Destroyer, return!" the trainer yelled, returning the victorious Nidoking.

"You've won, fair and square." Norman said, handing him the Balance Badge. Without a word, the trainer ran towards the door. When passing by, May saw his eyes. Emerald eyes. Wow.

The door slammed. They heard the cry of a pokémon, and then the flapping of wings. Then, everything was quiet. May, Brendan and Wally walked towards Norman, who was tending to his Slaking. He was very badly injured. Norman returned Slaking to his pokéball, and started walking towards the door. "Mister Norman! I've caught a Ralts!" Wally said, jumping up and down. "That's great, Wally!" Norman replied, smiling. "But I'll have to go to the Centre now, so if you'll excuse me...". "We'll walk along with you, dad." Brendan said.

"Torchick tor?Who the hell was that?". "Wurm!I don't know.". Kip mud mudkipBut did he kick some ass or what?".


	6. Food Wars

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nor do I own any Chinese food, knowledge about the correct spelling of Chinese food, or Star Wars.

CHAPTER 6: FOOD WARS

That evening, after Norman had healed his pokémon, and Wally went home, Brendan, May and Norman were having dinner at Norman's house. In the backyard, the pokémon were having a food fight. Well, it looked more like a food war. "Incoming!" Flame yelled, as a large portion of Nasi Goreng flew towards them. "Damn Nasi's!" Muddy hissed.

The combatants where split into two teams: Team Birch (Flame, Zeal and Muddy) and a Team consisting of Norman's Slaking and Vigoroth. Who couldn't think up a suitable name.

While Muddy was firing at will, Zeal got hit by an overwhelming amount of noodles. 'Wurm! Wurm...m...m…".

Flame started to dig in the heap of noodles. "No! Zeal! Why do the good pokémon always die young! Why? Why?". Flame started to cry (due to the unions being hurled at her).

Then, she dove, avoiding another Nasi Goreng portion, grabbed a chopstick with her beak, and charged at Vigoroth. In slow-motion, of course. Vigoroth leaped, and grabbed two chopsticks. "Chick! En Garde!". They both took defensive positions.

Flame lunged, but Vigoroth blocked with his right chopstick. He then slashed with his left chopstick, but Flame avoided the blow by making a back flip. Then, she used Ember to burn his left-hand chopstick (that's difficult if you're holding a chopstick in your beak).. Vigoroth jumped back somersaulting, and grabbed a tree branch with his free arm. He lifted himself up, and grabbed his remaining chopstick with both hands (or paws?). Balancing on the branch, he stood still. Flame jumped after him, but found out that she didn't have any long arms to grab the branch with. She somersaulted while using Ember. This gave her the boost needed to reach a wall. She wall-jumped, and reached the branch.

Vigoroth and Flame both stood there for a moment, exchanging blows. After a while, Flame lost her balance. She slashed in mid-air, forcing Vigoroth to take a few steps backwards, and managed to grab the branch with one wing. Her chopstick fell down. "Great. Now what do I do?". "_Use the Force_..". "What?". "I said, _use the Force..._". "Who said it? Was it you, Vigoroth?".

" Hgggggg... Hgggggg... Vigoroth is a name I've abandoned... Hgggggg... Hgggggg... Luke... I am…". Darth Vigoroth, I mean Vigoroth, lost his balance. He fell, letting go of his remaining chopstick. Flame let go of the branch, caught the chopstick in mid-air, and dove after Vigoroth. She somersaulted twice, did some difficult trick with her beamsaber, eh sorry, I mean chopstick, and slashed at Vigoroth. She missed.

"To Victory!" Zeal yelled raising a flag.

At that moment, Slaking and Muddy were sitting and eating (doing those two things at the same time requires perfect concentration). Muddy had climbed inside a bag of noodles, eating them from there seemed much easier. The problem was, that Slaking wanted some noodles, too. So, Slaking, grabbed the bag containing noodles, and opened his mouth…

Just after he closed his mouth, he tasted something weird. "Slaking!Aaarg!". He spat. Muddy flew through the air, and splashed against the window.

On the other side of the window, Brendan, May and Norman where eating Chinese (in case you didn't figure that out by yourself). They where talking about the Pokémon League. "So, you two are going to Rustboro next?" Norman asked. "Dad, I told you before, we ain't going to the League! We just came here, since mom found it such a nice idea to see us two go and visit you!". May, who had been thinking, said: "Actually, I don't think the League sounds that bad. I think I'll give it a go!". "But you can't go alone, can you?" Norman said, giving Brendan an expectational look. "Um, it could be fun..." Brendan started. "That's settled! Tomorrow you will go to Rustboro together! The first gym is located there. From there, you could take a boat and continue collecting badges!" And with this, Norman ended the discussion. And saw Muddy stick to the window.

The next morning, they all awoke, having slept well (Norman in his chamber, May in the guest room and Brendan, snoring, in the living room on the couch).

As May and Brendan left town, they noticed someone was running towards them. "Wait!" he yelled. It was Wally, carrying a backpack. "Um, can I...um...travel with you, to Verdanturf...Norman said you would pass through there...um...well...well?". Brendan, remembering Wally's staring at May, was about to say something unfriendly when May replied "Sure!".


	7. Teams, Teamwork, and a Speech

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

Warning: I've only played Pokémon Ruby, not Sapphire, so I don't actually know Team Aqua's reasons. I thought them up while I was writing. In any case, Team Magma wants to summon Groundon and such, and the earth will then get warmer. If that happens, the polar caps will melt, and there will be more sea than land! So, in

any case, their reasoning doesn't make any sense (it's more the other way 'round). Mail me if there is a large error in May's speech. Maybe, just maybe, I'll update (if it's a really good update).

CHAPTER 7: TEAMS, TEAMWORK AND A SPEECH

It was afternoon when they reached Petalburg Woods. After beating up some trainers they entered the Woods. Wally, who hadn't battled until then, was challenged by yet another Bug Catcher.

"One on one!" the B.C. said, releasing a fully grown Dustox. "Um...Ralts...go..." Wally whispered, releasing his little psychic-type.

"Dustox, use sand-attack!". Dustox then flew to the ground and started to flap his wings at high velocity. It wasn't just some sand that got hurled at Ralts, it was an entire sandstorm. Ralts couldn't see a thing. Nor could his trainer. Suddenly, Dustox appeared behind Ralts.

"Tackle him!" the B.C. ordered. Ralts got tackled, and smacked into the sand. "Ralts, no! Use...um...confusion... yeah, use Confusion!" Wally yelled, now more self-assured. But since Ralts couldn't even see his enemy, he missed. Ralts got tackles again. "Ralts, use Mind Reader, then Confusion!".

Ralts entered the mind of Dustox, sensed his location, and used Confusion. The damage wasn't that significant, but Dustox became confused. Due to his own dust clouds, he couldn't see where he was going, and crashed into a tree, knocking him out. "Yeah, we won!" Wally said, lifting his Ralts in the air.

After numerous more victories, they walked into a small path between some very large trees. "Heeelp!" they heard someone scream. As they rushed towards the screaming (Brendan had to turn back to pick up a sleeping Muddy), they saw a man in a suit with a purple necktie and a suitcase surrounded by people dressed in either black-red suits with weird caps, or in white and blue, as some sort of wannabe-pirates.

"Give us that suitcase!" a red capped guy said. "No! You give it to us!" someone with a blue bandana yelled. "Who the hell are you?" Wally asked. Both groups turned around. "Um...don't mind me...um...please continue..." Wally murmured, looking at his shoes.

"We are Team Magma/Aqua!" The two "teams" yelled. "I know you! You don't have to yell!" May screamed back.

"You do?" Brendan asked, giving May a puzzled look. "Yeah! And they're idiots! They're on the news all over! You know, they think they have genuine reasons to commit crimes!" she said, lowering her voice (but just enough to let the teams listen, too).

"Those freaks in red are trying to trigger volcanic eruptions and such, to make magma come up and solidify, increasing the earth's landmass. The funny part is, if that happens there is less room for the sea! As a result, the sea level will rise, flooding the land, and maintaining the balance!".

Team Magma started to discuss. While they tried to come up with a correct reply, May continued.

"And Team Aqua! Oh my! Trying to increase the earth's sea level, are we? How in Lugia's name could you do that? There is only a certain amount of water on this planet! So how could the sea rise, then? By melting the poles? If you wanna do that, you'll have to change the climate! It would have to be a lot warmer everywhere! And then, the sea would get warmer, too! If the sea gets warmer, then all the fish and other stuff that lives in the ocean will die! And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?".

With that, May ended her speech. The Magmas and Aquas where baffled. Their brains didn't react anymore.

"Oh come on, let's just have a battle!" May said. This, the Magmas and Aquas could understand.

"Let's make this a triple battle!" Brendan said, sending out his just awoken Muddy. "Go, Zeal!". "Get 'em, Ralts!".

Three Magma Grunts stepped forward. They sent out a Zubat, a Numel and a Poocheyena.

"Muddy, use Water Gun!". "Zeal, String Shot that Zubat!". "Um... Ralts, use Confusion!". The Water Gun knocked out the Numel with one shot. The String Shot made Zubat fly into his trainer, but Confusion did nothing to Poocheyena. "Wally, Poocheyena is a Dark type! You can't hit Dark types with psychic attacks!" Brendan yelled.

Ralts got tackled by Poocheyena. "Muddy, use Water Gun on Poocheyena!". Poocheyena flew through the air. "Now, Tackle him!". Muddy did tackle him, but Poocheyena was too heavy to be thrown far. "Muddy, use

Mud-Slap!". "Kip?What?" Muddy asked, turning around.

Poocheyena, who stood up and tried to bite Muddy, got slapped by Muddy's tail when Muddy turned around. Poocheyena tried biting again, but was knocked over (and out) by Zeal and Ralts. "We won!" Brendan and Wally yelled as they high-fived. The Magmas fled. "Now, where is Team Aqua?" May asked, looking around. But Team Aqua was missing. So was the purple-necktie guy. "Damn! They got away!". Brendan said. Then, he heard a noise up in a tree. He looked up, and saw nets coming down.

"Kip kipmudkip!I didn't expect this!". "Ral ralts.Quite a surprise.". "Flame, use Ember!". "Kip, mudkip.It's getting hot in here...". Flame burned through the net. "Muddy, use Water Gun on the trees!". A blast of water made the Aquas fall down.

May lifted Flame. "Hands up, or else I'll make her use Flamethrower!" May said, pointing Flame at the Aquas. "Chick chick tor!Dooon't mess with me! I'm one crazy chicken and... and... and I intend to prove it!". "Where is the purple-necktie guy?" Brendan demanded. One of the Aquas raised his arm and pointed it towards a tree. Wally went to take a look and found the p. necktie guy, unconscious. "Where is his suitcase?" Wally asked. A Aqua , until then holding the suitcase behind his back, laid it on the ground. Ralts retrieved it.

"Now scram!" May hissed, letting Flame blow some flames. The Aquas quickly fled. After they where out of sight, May put down Flame. "Did I just threaten eight Aquas with Flame? She doesn't even know Flamethrower yet!". Brendan pulled Muddy (who was trying to sleep) towards the p. necktie guy and ordered him to use Water Gun.

When p. necktie woke up, he saw two blue eyes and a lot of green hair in front of him. "Um... Mister, are you all right?" Wally asked. "Here is your suitcase." Brendan said, handing him his suitcase. "Shouldn't we get a reward or something?" p. necktie heard behind him. When he looked around, all he saw was a Mudkip. "Kip? Well?". p. necktie rubbed his temples.

"Well, thank you for helping-"."Saving!"."-saving me... I work for Devon in Rustboro... thanks again...". He looked at his watch. "Oh my! Look at the time! I've got to be going!". He stood up, tried to wipe some leaves of his suit, and started to run down the road.

"Stingy, are we?" Muddy murmured. "Look guys, He left something behind!" May said, handing them a great ball each. Then, they continued to walk towards Rustboro.

"Good thing I took those balls out of his suitcase..." Ralts whispered.

-In the secret Magma/Aqua base-

"Sir! We came here to bring report of our mission!". Maxie/Archie turned around. "And?". "We failed. We where attacked by members of Team Aqua/Magma _and_ by some trainers with horribly strong pokémon! We failed to get the suitcase. And one of those trainers, a girl, had held a speech 'bout why our Team didn't make sense. We forgot what she actually said, but it sounded horribly logical!". Maxie/Archie shook his head. "Fools! The reason we are doing this is...


	8. Sticking and Sitting

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

CHAPTER 8: STICKING AND SITTING – THEY CAN GET YOU A BADGE

"Zeal, use Tackle!" May ordered. She was having a two on two battle on the bridge leading to Rustboro. Flame had already fainted. The opponent, a Youngster, still used his first pokémon, a Wingull.

Zeal tackled the Wingull, who couldn't fly anymore due to an String Shot. Wingull got knocked out. "Wingull, return! Go, Ninjask!". The moth-like pokémon flew forward and tackled Zeal at a blinding speed. Again and again.

"No, Zeal!". The little Wurmple tried to keep standing. "Zeal, duck!". Zeal ducked. The Ninjask flew over Zeal, and tried to turn around. Since Zeal's sudden ducking prevented Ninjask from slowing down by hitting him, he lost his balance. "Zeal, Tackle!".

Zeal hurled his tiny body against Ninjask. "Ninjask, grab him!". Ninjask turned around, and caught Zeal with his forepaws. "Now, throw him in the water!" the Youngster ordered. Ninjask started to fly towards the side of the bridge, holding a struggling Zeal in his paws. Then he let go.

"Zeal, use String Shot against the side of the bridge!". "Wurm!". Zeal swung towards a pole, and grabbed it. At that moment, Ninjask came flying towards him. He (again) grabbed Zeal. "Fly up high and let him fall onto the bridge!". "No!".

So Ninjask did. On the way up, Ninjask started to somersault. On the fourth somersault, Zeal began to shine with a blinding light.

He evolved into a Silcoon. Since Ninjask was somersaulting, he was holding Zeal above him at the moment of evolution. Zeal gained weight while evolving. So, Zeal fell down, with Ninjask underneath him. The crash almost made the wooden bridge break. Zeal rolled out of the dust, staring at May with his one eye. When the air cleared a bit, everyone saw that Ninjask was knocked out.

"We won again!" May said, lifting Zeal. "Oof! You've gained weight!".

Later, when Brendan had demolished a Shroomish and Wally defeated a Lotad, they entered Rustboro.

After reviving Flame at the Pokémon Centre, they headed to the gym. A Youngster was waiting for them inside.

Wally demanded that he would battle the youngster. After Ralts had used Disable to stop Rock Throw (by the Youngster's Geodude), he used Confusion, neutralizing the Geodude.

May was the first one to face the Gym Leader, Roxanne.

"I am Roxanne, Leader of this gym. If you want a Stone Badge, you'll have to best me. We'll do one on one battles with no time limit." she said.

May sent out her just evolved Zeal. Roxanne released her Nosepass. Nosepass looked at the Silcoon. "Nosepass, Tackle!" Roxanne ordered. Nosepass ran towards Zeal, but Zeal rolled out of the way. "Tackle, again!". Once more, Zeal evaded the attack by rolling. "Use Magnitude!". This had effect. Although it was only a minor Magnitude 4, it damaged Zeal. Who was unable to perform any attack. "Another Magnitude!". This time, it was Magnitude 8. Zeal was almost done for. "Nosepass, Headbutt!". May, who had figured out that a Silcoon could do more then just rolling, gave an order, too. "Attach yourself to his nose, Zeal!".

Since Silcoon can use a sticky substance to attach themselves to any surface, Zeal sticked to Nosepass's nose when he rammed him with it.

"Nosepass, charge into the wall, and break that Silcoon!". Just before the moment of impact, May yelled:

"Use Harden, now!". Zeal became as hard as the wall and passed the force of impact on to Nosepass. Who broke his nose. Nosepass swayed back, turned around and fell. "Harden once more!" May commanded. This time, the force of impact knocked out Nosepass, He landed on his side, enabling Zeal to let go an roll towards May.

Who was just receiving the Stone Badge.

Now it was Brendan's turn. "Go, Muddy!" Brendan yelled, sending out a yawning Muddy.

"A Mudkip... Go, Graveler!" Roxanne said, releasing the rock and ground type pokémon.

"Water Gun!". "Roll aside!" they yelled, almost at the same time. Graveler evaded the attack. "Keep rolling!" and after a while "use Rollout!". Graveler rolled at a horrible speed towards Muddy. "Now use Water Gun!".

The blast of water stopped Graveler in mid-air. "Graveler, Dig!". As Graveler fell to the ground, heavily damaged, he started spinning again and buried himself when he touched the ground. "Don't give him time to escape! Muddy, Water Gun in the hole!" Brendan strategically said. "Do you really think I'll let that happen? Graveler, Mud-Slap out of the hole!". The water was shot out of the hole again. "Now use Mud-Slap underneath him!". The ground below Muddy began to rumble. Suddenly, Muddy was swung into the air by a geyser of mud. When Muddy came down he barely evaded another Mud-Slap coming out of the ground. Muddy kept evading, but he was getting tired.

"Muddy, stand still!" Brendan ordered. Muddy gave Brendan a questioning look, and sat down. "*Why should I...*". "Water Gun downwards now!". "*Oh, I get it...*". As the ground broke under the pressure of a Mud-Slap, Muddy fired a long blast of water at the ground. Muddy himself got lifted by the pressure and began to rise towards the ceiling.

Neither of the two could stop their attacks, because if they did they would get hit. Muddy, not rising anymore since he hit the ceiling, and helped by gravity, was slowly pushing back the Mud-Slap.

"Graveler, stop and use Dig, quickly!" Roxanne said, panicking. Too late. The Water Gun connected, Graveler got hit, and he fainted.

"I won!" Brendan yelled, raising a fist into the air. "*Hey, I'm up here! Could someone help me down?*" Muddy said, clinging onto a ceiling lamp.

"You've won..." Roxanne said, handing Brendan a Stone Badge. May and Brendan high-fived. "*Hello? Anyone?*"

. When they where about to leave the gym, Roxanne called them back. And wished them good luck for the rest of their journey.

Just after leaving the Gym, Roxanne yelled "Hey, isn't that your Mudkip up there?". "*Finally!*".


	9. Catching, and being caught

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Scotland. _Nor_ do I own anything related to Terry Pratchett (I'll explain this later).

CHAPTER 9: CATCHING AND BEING CAUGHT

The next morning Brendan, May and Wally were discussing where they should head for, next. They decided to walk up Route 115, to Meteor Falls.

After walking uphill for more then two hours, they came across a ledge. And another one. And another. "It's too steep. We can't continue." Wally said. "As if we didn't already notice..." Brendan sneered.

"What do we do now? We could head for Route 116, through Rusturf Tunnel to Verdanturf." May proposed. "Yes we could..." Brendan said, scratching the back of his head. "But I've heard that the tunnel isn't completed yet.". "We aren't getting anywhere if we keep talking here... Damn it's hot..." Wally said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

They decided to take a short break. After feeding the pokémon (and themselves), they prepared to walk down again. Suddenly, they heard rumbling.

"Run!" Wally yelled. "Why?" Brendan asked, lying flat on his back in the grass. "Because boulders are coming down!". "Fair enough!". So, they ran away, and hid behind a large rock. After a while, the rumbling stopped. Then, they heard a pokémon cry.

"Baaaagoooon!" a tiny dinosaur-like pokémon screamed, as he hurled himself off a cliff. Twenty metres below, he landed on his head, and fainted.

"I'll catch him!" Brendan said happily as he started to climb up the cliff towards him. Climbing up, he took out a empty pokéball.

When he reached the ledge, he threw the ball, catching the still unconscious Bagon. "I'll call you Axl!" Brendan whispered, attaching the ball to his belt.

After climbing down again, Brendan used a Revive to bring Axl back to his senses.

"*Hi! I'm Muddy! Who are you?*" Muddy said, taking care to stay out of reach of Axl's teeth. "*Um... guess my name is now Axl... um, Muddy, why does that guy have white hair? Is he old or something?*". "*No, I think it has something to do with fried chicken... maybe he just dyed his hair white...*".

"Hi! I'm Brendan!" Brendan said, lifting Axl up.

While walking back to Rustboro, Brendan introduced May ("Awww... Isn't he cute?"), Wally ("Does he bite?"), Flame ("*Don't you dare to look at me like that!*"), Zeal ("*No, I'm not a marshmallow, I am a pokémon. Could you please let go of me?*") and Ralts ("*What?*").

Before entering Rustboro, they went left, to Route 116.

May battled a Lass with Flame (she toasted both a Cascoon and a Skitty), Wally had a hard time battling a Youngster's Magnemite, but made a comeback ("Ralts, lift those stones! Throw them at Magnemite!") and knocked out two Wurmple afterwards.

At the end of the Route, they entered a tunnel. "At least it's a bit cooler in here..." Wally spoke, relieved to be out of the blazing sunshine. When they rounded a corner, they were surrounded by total darkness.

"Um... is it just me, or is it getting a bit dark?" Wally whispered. He felt a gloved hand slid into his own hand.

"Wow! May is holding my hand!" he thought, and funny ideas entered his head. A few metres in front of him, he heard May give Flame an order. "Use Ember!". The tunnel was lightened by the fire. Wally noticed (a bit late...) that it wasn't May's hand he was holding...

He looked. A Magma Grunt, grinning. Wally felt something hard being slammed against the back of his head. Everything went black.

Brendan, who actually _was_ holding May's hand (he was grinning and having funny thoughts, too), heard something. When he looked back, he saw Wally was missing. "Where is Wally?" (!)Brendan asked. "Wally is holding my left hand, I think..." (Brendan's smile disappeared). Brendan looked to his left. "That ain't Wally..." Brendan whispered. May looked. "Eek!". BAM.

Muddy was lost. He had walked right into a rock wall, and flipped over. When he was back on four feet, he noticed that he could not see a thing. Nor did he hear anyone. "Kip, mud?*Anyone there?*". (echo) "Mud?*There?*" Muddy heard. "Eh, was that a female Mudkip I heard there?" Muddy thought. So, he started walking towards the sound. And walked into another wall.

"Um, May?". "Yeah?". "Who did you hit?". "Let's see... Looks like a Magma Grunt.". "Riiight...". "Brendan?". "Yes?". "Another Magma is standing behind you. He has a gun.". "Ah, shit!"

Wally opened his eyes. He was lying on the cold floor. His hands were tied. So were his feet. He tried to yell, but his mouth was covered by a handkerchief. Shit.

Muddy opened his eyes. Before him stood a tall black figure. Carrying a scythe. `*Who are you?*`. I'M DEATH a voice in Muddy's head said. `*Aha. And, am I dead?*`. MAYBE.


	10. Out of the Tunnel

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Scotland. _Nor_ do I own anything related to Terry Pratchett (I'll explain this, but not now).

In advance, I want to thank my aunt for her teachings in the noble art of speaking Sco'ish (I mean Scottish).

CHAPTER 10: OUT OF THE TUNNEL

I'M DEATH a voice in Muddy' head said. "*Aha. And, am I dead?*". MAYBE.

"*Wait, didn't I ask this at the end of the previous chapter?*". YES, BUT THIS WAS A FLASHBACK OR SOMETHING. "*Right... This is a dream, isn't it?*". YES IT IS. "*Mhm... It certainly isn't a good one... can I wake up now?*". WHY NOT? "*Okay then, bye!*". GOOD DAY TO YOU, TOO.

Muddy really opened his eyes. "*Aww... My head...*". Muddy saw a faint light coming from behind him. He turned around, and saw a green-hared figure lying on the floor. A Magma Grunt was sitting behind him, standing guard. On closer inspection, Muddy saw that the Magma was sleeping.

"Mddy! Cld y pls rls m?" The figure murmured. Muddy gave him a strange look, and began to chew on the ropes.

"Aha. So behind me is a member of Team Magma and he has a gun?" Brendan asked. "Yes.". "Great.".

Brendan raised both of his hands and turned around. Yep, a Magma all right . With a gun. Damn.

Axl was having a difficult time. He saw that his new master was being threatened by some guy with weird clothes. Currently, he was climbing the wall behind the weird clothes guy. He had a plan

Muddy finished chewing on the ropes. "*Could've used some mustard...*". Wally stood up, removed the handkerchief from his mouth, and patted Muddy on the head. `Thanks.` he whispered. He grabbed his pokéball, containing Ralts, and started to walk further into the tunnel.

When Axl reached the ceiling, he hurled himself downwards, into the head of the W.C. guy. "Bagon gon!*Gree man!*" (this will be explained in the next chapter). Axl gave the Magma an aerial headbutt. They both fainted.

May lifted the unconscious Axl, and gave him a hug. "My hero!" she proclaimed. Brendan and May heard footsteps. Wally came running around the corner, throwing a pokéball. "Ralts, use Confu... Oh, it's you guys...".

"Where in Mew's name have you been?" she said, tilting her head. "I was captured by a Magma, but Muddy found and released me." he explained. "Then, I managed to escape. The Magma guarding me had fallen asleep.".

"Seems like we have to find our own way out..." Brendan said, tying up the Grunt KO'd by Axl. "We'll leave him here. It's best that we just get out of here. Alive.". May handed Axl to Brendan, and started to walk. Brendan and Wally soon followed, as did all the other pokémon (including -thank god- Muddy).

After walking for about five minutes, Wally tripped over something. "Hell, who puts a cage here?" he said, kicking the cage. This caused the occupant of the cage to make a damn lot of noise. "Gul! Gul! Wingull!".

"A Wingull? Honestly, who puts a caged Wingull here?" Wally complained as he lifted the cage. "We can't leave him here, can we?".

On the way out, which was hard to find, they didn't encounter any Magmas. When they reached the exit (the same one as the entrance), an old and overweighed man came running towards them.

"Peecko! My dear Peecko! Thank Lugia you're safe!" he said, hugging the case containing 'Peecko'.

"Um, sir, is this your Wingull?" Wally asked. "What does it look like?" Brendan hissed. "I don't know how to thank you! Thank you!". The overweighed man said, almost crying. "Ahum, I am Mr. Briney. I'm a sailor. My house is just south of Petalburg woods. If you ever need anything, you can just ask.". When he turned around, May stopped him. "Actually, there is something you could do for us. Could I ask you to take us to Dewford with your boat?". "Dewford? Why Dewford?" Briney asked. "I was about to ask the same question." Brendan added.

"Well, since we can't climb up route 115, and Rusturf tunnel is off limits, we could go to Dewford." May reasoned. "Well, all right. I came here on my ship, to get Peecko dear back from those Magmas and left it at Route 115. We could go there right now!".

About half an hour later, a giant pokémon landed before the tunnel entrance. A person jumped off. "Alpha, return!" he said, returning the flying pokémon. He grabbed another pokéball as he entered the tunnel.

Will Muddy get some more sleep (and more to eat)? Will I ever explain what that Scottish stuff is? Find out, in the next exiting episode of... Wait, I don't think this sounds right...

Anyway, in the Disclaimer a person named Terry Pratchett got mentioned. Terry Pratchett is a famous English writer (humour/roman, especially the humour). He wrote the Discworld series (more then 30 books) and some other books, too. The funny thing is, that in (almost) all of his books certain characters keep appearing. Amongst them are a urang-utang having a job as a Librarian (don't ask), some witches (there are only two witch rules:

1. Obey the rules and 2. If you don't, break them hard and good), a Troll (me feeling really stupid) and DEATH, the guy who talks in capitals. I'm a huge fan and I gave Death a guest role. Funny, isn't it?


	11. I'm on a boat!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Scotland.

CHAPTER 11: ON THE BOAT

It was almost evening when they reached the boat. Axl was still unconscious, and Brendan was fainting.

"Damn, Axl is heavy!" he said, while carrying Axl. "Why didn't you just return him to his pokéball?" Wally asked. "If I thought about that earlier...".

"Here we are, people! This is my boat!". Peecko jumped off Briney's shoulder and landed on the rail. "I think it's too late to set sail today, so why don't we just eat and go to bed?". "That's fine with me..." Brendan murmured, laying Axl down.

Briney started the engine, and sailed away from the coast. Then, he threw out the anchor.

While the others were eating, Axl came to his senses. He bit Muddy (who was eating from Axl's food), and started to eat. After a while, Flame asked: "Why did you yell 'Gree man' when you gave that Magma a headbutt?". Axl, chewing, answered: "Wll, snc 'n sctt th...". He swallowed. "Well, in Scotland there is something called a 'Glaswegian Kiss'. The Glaswegian Kiss involves two persons, presumably Scots, who greet in a specific manner. Did I just say something smart?". "Please continue.". "OK. Well, the first person asks 'Ho's it geuing?'. Then, the second Scot answers with 'Gree man'. And then, they bang their heads together.".

Muddy: "Riiight... so, the first one asks how's it going?". "Yeah, gree man!". BAM.

"Latios, can't those two stop fighting?" Brendan said, lifting the two passed out pokémon up. "Why does everyone pass out all the time?" May asked. "D'know..." Brendan replied.

Briney: "There are three rooms on the ship. May, you can sleep in the front. I'll sleep in the back, and you two can sleep here. You do have sleeping bags, don't you?". "Yes we do" was the answer.

After they finished eating, Brendan and Wally were doing the dishes while Briney and May were trying to set up some beds. Having done that, they all went to sleep. "Sleep well.". "G'night.". "Good night.". "Tomorrow morning, we set sail!.". "We know...".

That night, Wally couldn't sleep. Mainly by Brendan's snoring. "That guy is a frickin' pile driver..." he murmured, turning around.

May couldn't sleep either. This (for a change) wasn't caused by Brendan's snoring, she just couldn't sleep.

She stood up, and walked up the stairs to the deck (May's room and Brendan/Wally's room both had stairs leading to the deck) wearing pink pyjamas with a flower pattern. Arriving at the deck, she felt the wind blow through her hair. She walked to the stem, and looked at the coastline, which was lightened by the moonlight. Then, she heard someone sight.

When she turned around, she saw back at the stern, looking at the ocean. May tried to sneak back to the stairs, but she tripped over a rope, making a lot of noise. Brendan looked back, and saw May, trying to untie the rope which was now tangled around her leg. "Um, couldn't sleep..." May said, noticing that Brendan saw her and was now untying the rope for her. "Thanks...". "You don't want to know how loud Muddy snores...". Brendan said, rolling up the rope. "What?". "I said, Muddy snores.". "Oh, okay.".

Brendan went back to the stern, leaning against the rail and staring at the ocean lit by moonlight. "Your old home was in Vermillion, right?" May asked. Brendan nodded. "I heard it's by the sea...". Brendan nodded again. "Why are you quiet? Do you... miss it?". Silence. Brendan breathed deep, and answered "Yes".

May leaned against the rail next to Brendan. She felt uncomfortable. "What... did you miss?" she asked, a lot more silent. Brendan swallowed. May now saw tears run down his face. What the…

She laid her hand on his. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to...". Brendan shook his head. "Sabre... I miss Sabre..." he whispered. May bit on her lip. She didn't expect to find a crying Brendan. "Who is Sabre?". "A Treecko. My Treecko. He had always been in ill health... That's why he had to live in Vermillion... There are great hospitals there... When we moved, my uncle would take care of him... Two days after we left, I received message that Sabre had... d...". Brendan stopped. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms. May put her arm around his shoulder. There they stood, mourning over the death of Brendan's dear friend.

At six o'clock, Brendan, May and Wally all woke up by the ringing of a bell. "All hands on deck! We're setting sail, Peecko dear!". After breakfast, they actually did set sail. Briney started the engine, and went to the bridge (the place from where you steer). Brendan cast off the hawsers, and they were off.

Wally, who was standing next to Mr Briney, started to question him. "What are those pokémon?" he asked, pointing a finger at some black, shark-like pokémon. "Those are Sharpedo.". "And that one?" Wally asked, looking at a large, flying bird pokémon. "That's a Pelliper, a evolved Wingull.". "And that?". "That's Muddy, trying to keep up with us. He just fell out of the boat.".

"Muddy!" Brendan yelled, grabbing the one end of a rope and jumping into the water. May, who came running towards Wally, asked: "Brendan jumped out of the boat to save Muddy, right?". "Right.". "And... he grabbed one end of a rope, right?". "Right.". "Who is holding the other end?". "Righ... Crap!".

"White hared guy overboard!" Axl yelled. "That ain't gree!" he added.

"Mr Briney, you have to turn around!" Wally yelled, running towards the stern. He missed the rope, which just fell into the water. "B-boy, just keep swimming! We're turning around!" May yelled, putting her hands around her mouth like a loudspeaker. "You just take your time, I'm not going anywhere!" they heard him scream back.

"Mr Briney?". "Yes?". "Those shark-like pokémon are Sharpedo, right?". "Right.". "Aha... um, Sharpedo are swimming towards Brendan and Muddy!".

Brendan, who didn't hear Wally's remark, was unaware of the Sharpedo swimming towards him. Suddenly, he saw a shadow pass by. He grabbed Muddy, who was trying to convince the Sharpedo that he didn't taste good.

"Look, do you see me? I'm nothing but skin and bones! Don't eat me! I... I have a very dangerous and infectious disease! It made me turn blue!".

Brendan looked around, and saw a lot of dorsal fins circle around him. He saw teeth shine. Brendan lifted a leg, and half a second later jaws slammed shut where his leg just had been. "Oooh shit! Muddy, start using Mud Shot!". "...and on top of that, I'm on a low-salt diet! What?". "Use Mud Shot now!". "Ah, why not...".

Muddy started to use Mud Shot. "Did I just understood what he said?" Brendan asked himself. "Damn, I'm hearing things!".

Using Mud Shot, Muddy made a cloud consisting of water and sand. As a result, the Sharpedo could not see a thing. "Grab the rope, Brendan!" Wally yelled, throwing a rope. The boat had already turned and was not lying next to Brendan and Muddy. Brendan grabbed the rope with his left hand. With his right hand he held Muddy, who was still using Mud Shot.

After being lifted out of the water (and being handed a towel) Brendan sat down below deck.

"Why the hell did Muddy fall into the water? he asked himself out loud. "Muddy didn't _fall_ out, he saw a "hot" female Milotic." Axl said. "Yes, I'm glad to see you too." Brendan said, patting Axl on the head. "If you do that again, I'll bite you". Brendan wanted to pat him on the head again, but when he saw Axl's angry face, he hesitated.

Upstairs, the other pokémon where facing a dilemma. Zeal had been lifted by Peecko, and was put in Peecko's nest on top of the mast.

"Ahoy up there!" Ralts yelled. "Ahoy down there!" Zeal answered. "How's the view?" Flame asked. "Um... well, I think I can see Dewford... No wait, it's just another rock... Ah, ahoy Peecko! Fancy to take me down again?". "Wing wingull!Peecko good pet!". "Yeah, I know. Could you help me get down? Please?". "Peecko wants cookie!". "Damn you! Get me down this instance, or else... or else... Flame?". "Yes?". "Or else what?". "Um... Or else, Peecko won't get a cookie!" Flame yelled back up.

"Awk! Peecko not stupid! If Peecko listen, then Peecko help but not get cookie after! Awk!" (Don't ask me how a pokémon can say 'awk'). "Flame?". "Yes Zeal?". "Could you please go and get Ralts over here? Maybe he can get me down using Psychic!". Flame was already on her way.

"Hey Wally?" May asked. "Yeah?". "Have you seen Zeal? I can't find him.". At that moment, Flame passed by yelling: "Zeal is stuck on top of the mast!". "WHAT?" May asked Wally. "Stuck on top of the mast!". "Bu...but I didn't say anything!" Wally answered, confused. "Yeah, right. I heard someone say Zeal was stuck on top of the mast, and I'm not hallucinating.".

After fetching Ralts, Flame started to give instructions. "Oookay! Ralts, when I say "Go", you use Psychic to lift Zeal. And Zeal, when say 'Go', you let go of the nest, right? Ralts, remember not to let Zeal fall. We are going to let him come down _slowly_! Everything set? Three, two, one, go!". Zeal let go. Ralts caught him up, holding Zeal in the air at that exact spot.

The problem was, that the ship was moving. _Sailing_. So, when Zeal looked down, he saw the ship move away. On top of that, a tired Taillow decided to land on Zeal and went to sleep. Flame, who saw what was happening, gave new orders: "Ralts, let Zeal fall, and catch him up again!".

That, Ralts did. Zeal fell a few metres, and hang in the air again. The Taillow, woken up by this, started to peck Zeal. "Hey! I'm up here, being attacked by a rabid Taillow, and tossed up and down by some mind-power thingy that some people don't even believe in! _Get me down now_!" Zeal screamed.

Ralts, still concentrating, took a few steps to the left, and tripped over a rope lying there. As a result, he lost his focus. Zeal closed his eye ("Mommy!"), and fell. He landed in a bunch of hawsers.

May, who was searching for Zeal at the stern, found Zeal (who still had his one eye closed), lifted him and walked away. "Oh, so you were just sleeping there, weren't you?". "Sil, silcoon!As soon as I evolve, I'm gonna kill that Wingull!". May: "No, it isn't lunchtime yet.".

Brendan, who was up deck again, had developed quite a cold. "Aaachooo!". Wally, who stood just in range, landed him his handkerchief. Brendan blew his nose. "You sure you shouldn't be downstairs in bed?". "Nah, have aah, haah, achoo!". Wally held a second handkerchief as a shield before his head. "There he blows!" Muddy yelled.

"Ral, ral ralts!" Wally heard. When he looked back, he saw a big, round, dark-blue pokémon jump out of the water and use Water Gun against Ralts.

"Ralts, use Teleport!". Ralts, disappeared, and materialised a metre to the left. "Now use Confusion!". Ralts stood still for a moment, then released a purple flash, which caused the opponent to go belly-up. Wally threw a pokéball at the unconscious pokémon, and captured him. "Um... What did I just catch?". "Looks like a Wai, wai, whaachoo! A Wailmer, I mean..." Brendan said, wiping his nose. Some sort of whale, eh? I'll call him Willy.. That's original... May said, shaking her head.

Yeah, very ori...gi...o...n...nhaachoo!.

- - - - -

I know, this is a (very) long chapter. I just didn't want to split it in two. And 'bout the sad bit: I just wanted to write a sad part in the story (I need tissues!). On a boat… at night… ah, the romance… poor Brendan.. his poor Treecko… Yes, I know I'm not good at writing sad stories. Although I don't I think it was that bad…


	12. Water? Fire? A Rhapsody of Surprises

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

CHAPTER 12: WATER? FIRE? A RHAPSODY OF SURPRISES

That evening, they arrived in Dewford. Firstly, they went to the gym. After defeating a number of trainers, they faced Brawly. Brendan went first.

"One on one?" Brendan purposed. "Of course!" Brawly replied, taking out a pokéball. "Go, Machoke!". "Get 'em, Axl!". As soon as the two pokémon appeared, they charged at each other.

"Machoke, Tackle!". "Axl, Headbutt!".Axl lowered his head, while Machoke simply kept charging. The two crashed into each other. "Dude, not bad! Machoke, grab him!". "Axl, Bite him!". Unfortunately for Axl, the Dark-type Bite attack did only minor damage to the Fighting type.

"Now, throw him!". Machoke threw Axl away. "Axl, try to land on your head!". Due to Axl's Rock Head, he didn't get any damage at all from the fall. "Machoke, Cross Chop!". Machoke crossed his arms, then raised them. "Axl, jump back!". Axl did, barely, evade the Cross Chop, but he tripped over his own tail. "Use Low Kick!". "Axl, Bite his foot, and don't let go!". Although the bite didn't do much damage, it did cause Machoke to trip over, too. "Machoke, kick on the floor!". Machoke did. Axl let out a scream and let go.

"Axl, take distance!" Axl jumped back. "*Ow! Tha' h'rt! Yer makin' me go talk all sco'ish, and ye deun't like me when I'm telkin' sco'ish!*". "Axl, Dragonbreath!". "*In yer face!*" Axl roared, before releasing a fiery blast of breath which not only did damage, but also paralysed Machoke. Machoke fell down on one knee. "Machoke, Ice Punch!". But before Machoke could get into range, Brendan gave a command.

"Axl, Ember on the Ice Punch!". By doing this, Machoke burned his hand and delivered only a normal punch, in Axl's face. Axl fell back, and Machoke, being paralysed, fell on top of him. "Machoke, Body Slam!". "Axl, use Hydro Pump!". "*What?*". "Don't think, just do it!" Brendan yelled, questioning himself if he really understood what Axl just said.

Axl did use Hydro Pump, and send Machoke flying. He crashed into a wall, and fainted.

"We won!" Brendan yelled, running towards Axl. He lifted Axl up. "How's it going, buddy? Are you all right?". "*Yeah, I'm gree, man!*" Axl said happily, swaying his head back. BAM.

After removing Brendan from the battlefield, May challenged Brawly. "Go, Flame!". "Hariyama, now!".

"Flame, use Ember!". Flame _did_ use Ember, but it didn't do much damage, due to Hariyama's Thick Fat. " Hariyama, Doubleslap!" Brawly ordered. Hariyama lunged, but Flame evaded. "Flame, use Peck!". Flame jumped, landed on top of Hariyama's head, and started to Peck. This _did_ do fair damage, since it was a

Flying-type attack. Hariyama grabbed the Torchick pecking his head. Who continued to peck, this time on his hand. "Doubleslap!". Flame was thrown in the air and got Doubleslapped. It connected five times. Flame flew through the air, but landed on her legs. "Wait, Hariyama only has close-range attacks!" May thought. "Flame, use Ember and don't stop!". Flame started to hurl small fireballs towards Hariyama. "Hariyama, try to close in on her!". "Flame, walk back and fire at will!". Flame continued to fire at Hariyama, but was now doing the moonwalk at the same time. Hariyama was struggling to get to Flame. Flame then stopped, exhausted.

"Flame, no!" May yelled. "Hariyama, use...". Suddenly, Flame fired a blue-flamed Flamethrower, setting fire to Hariyama. "Haaariiiyaaamaaa!" he screamed, while running in circles. Brawly grabbed a fire-extinguisher and ran towards Hariyama, who fainted. "Okay, you've won! Now help me stop my Hariyama from burning to a crisp!".

After Hariyama was extinguished (Muddy helped a bit), and Brendan came by, both he and May received a Knuckle Badge.

They were walking back to the boat. "*Don't mess...with me...I'm one... crazy...chicken...*" Flame whispered in May's arms. And fell asleep. Zeal was still sticking to her shoulder.

Brendan carried a pokémon on each shoulder. Who were having a discussion. "*But... How could you use Hydro Pump?*" Muddy asked. "*D'know, I just did it.*". "*Can Bagon learn Hydro Pump?*". "*No.*". "*But... how does it go, then?*". "*Ah, gree man!*".

Maybe the ending is a bit cliché... It is indeed possible that Axl uses Hydro Pump. The Salamance in my own Pokémon Ruby game (also called Axl) knows it. No, it can't be learned by a TM or by levelling. I'm not sure about Tutoring... Anyway, I got my Axl from an egg, and his mom was a Bagon. His daddy was a Gyarados who knew Hydro Pump. So, that solves everything. See ya!


	13. The Cave

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

CHAPTER 13: THE CAVE

The next morning, when they were all awake and ready to go, Mr Briney told them that they had a problem.

"The engine of my boat went flat. Some of the tubes have been broken by a crazy Taillow who got locked up in the engine room.". Zeal looked the other way. As did Ralts.

"This afternoon a mechanist will come to take a look at it. So, it seems you'll have to entertain yourselves until then." ."Let's go to the cave north of here!" Wally purposed. "Why go to a cave when we can go to the beach?" May asked. "Well, since it is raining...". They looked outside. It was pouring. "Good point you've got there." Brendan said. "Can we even go outside?" May questioned. "Sure!" Wally said, raising a large, purple umbrella with two Bellosoms printed on it.

After half an hour of walking (and swearing by a certain female fire-type pokémon) they reached the cave. On the beach. They went in.

"I can't see the fun in going inside a dark cave like this filled with pokémon..." Brendan yawned. When they found a ladder, they went down.

"Damn! It's pitch-black in here!" Brendan complained. "There should be some very rare rocks in here..." Wally said. "Rare rocks? Rare rocks, my f..." Brendan walked into a stalagmite. Between his legs. "Aaargh!". "Rare rocks your 'faaargh'?" Wally asked. "Awww... Damn...". "Um, Ralts, use Flash.". Ralts started flashing, which revealed Brendan lying on the floor with his hands between his legs. "That.._hurt_!". "Just try to breathe..." Wally murmured.

"Men..." May said, rolling her eyes. She saw something shine in the darkness. "What's that?" she whispered.

The shining disappeared behind a rock. She looked behind the rock. "A...Aron?". Her eyes widened. "Kawai!".

Suddenly, the entire cave started to move. Zubat and Geodude were everywhere. "Ralts, stop Flash." Wally whispered. The cave was once again enveloped in total darkness. May reached out, and grabbed the Aron.

Wally lifted Brendan on it's feet.

"Run!" May screamed, charging towards the weak light coming from the top of the ladder. Pokémon cries were everywhere. "Ralts, use Flash just once!" Wally yelled, covering his eyes. Ralts released a blinding flash, which blinded the Geodude. The Zubat, however, who didn't have eyes, made an aerial assault at Zeal (who was sticking to May's shoulder). Flame saw this during the flash, and started to use Flamethrower in the Zubat's direction.

The Geodude had regrouped. Muddy sat on Brendan's shoulder and was randomly firing in their direction. Wally started climbing the ladder, with Ralts on his shoulder. Brendan soon followed, Axl on his shoulder and Muddy still sitting on his backpack, firing like a machine-gun. Flame jumped on May's shoulder and tried to keep her balance.

Wally and Brendan had already reached the top but May, still holding Aron in one arm, was having a difficult time climbing up the ladder. Brendan and Wally reached down, grabbed her arms, and pulled her up. Just in time, since the Geodude used Rock Throw at the ladder. The Zubat started to fly up to the opening at the top of the ladder. "Flame/Muddy, Flamethrower/Water Gun at the ladder!" May and Brendan ordered.

After five minutes of battling the Zubat and Geodude fled.

"Dooon't mess with us! We're two crazy chickens, and...". "Flame?". "...and...what?". "I'm no chicken.".

"I'll call you Shine!" May exclaimed, hugging Aron. Who in his turn tried to get away. "Can't...breathe...air...".

Aron fainted. May caught him with a pokéball. "Yuk! She caught a pokémon by hugging him!" Ralts said, making a face. "Poor guy..." Zeal said.

When they left the cave, they saw a giant, yellow, winged dragon-like pokémon. Next to him stood the Nidoking-guy, handing a package to a grey-haired man. He looked not much older then 20, had grey hair and wore a black-purple suit. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon!" the grey-hair said. "You bet!" Nidoking-guy replied.

The N-guy climbed up the dragon-like pokémon. "Alpha, Extremespeed!" he yelled. The Dragon pokémon let out a cry, and then flew away blindingly fast, leaving behind huge sand clouds.

When things cleared up a bit, Brendan asked the grey-hair guy "who was that?". The grey-hair looked directly at Brendan. "I really don't know.".

While grey-hair putted the package in his pocket, Wally saw the words 'DEVON' written on it.

"And who might you be?" May asked, looking over Brendan's shoulder. "Young lady, my name is Steven." Steven said with a smile. "_The_ Steven?" Wally asked. "I guess so... and who might you be?" Steven asked, grabbing a pokéball. "Well, I'm Wally, this is Brendan and...". "I'm May!" May said over Brendan's shoulder. "Aha. Nice meeting you.".

He gave May another smile, then yelled "Go, Skarmory!" while throwing a pokéball. He jumped, and Skarmory caught him up in mid-air. "Bye!" he yelled.

Brendan noticed that May was waving after Steven. "I don't like him." he whispered. "Me neither." Wally replied.

"Neither what?" May asked. "Um... Brendan said that he didn't notice that it didn't rain anymore!". "So... you guys are talking 'bout the weather? Try to talk about a more interesting subject, like...". "Ahoy!". "Mr Briney!".

"Ahoy again! The boat is working , so hop on! We're going to Slateport!".

- - - - -

Exciting, isn't it? Will I ever reveal the name of the guy who calls his Nidoking Destroyer? Will May fall in love with Steven? Will Brendan and Wally join forces to prevent that? All of that, and more in the next...


	14. On the Beach!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Terry Pratchett.

CHAPTER 14: ON THE BEACH

After a few hours of sailing (Shine got seasick), they arrived at Slateport Beach.

After thanking Mr Briney, who was going home, May demanded that they would go to the beach. So they did.

When they came out of the changing cubicles, they ran towards the water. May was wearing a red bikini, and didn't wear her bandana, so her hair reached her shoulders.

Brendan was wearing red-black swimming trunks, and also still wore his black headband.

Wally had managed to find his green (!) swimming trunks with white flowers on it.

May laid down he pink towel, and started to sunbathe. Brendan raced to the sea, with Muddy and Axl right behind him. Wally forgot to take Willy's pokéball, so he went back to fetch it.

After that, he released Willy (a Wailmer, remember?) in the water and jumped on top of him, trying to surf. Unfortunately, Willy dived.

Flame, Zeal, Shine and Ralts started to build a sandcastle. Well, it looked more like a damn big heap of sand. Shine and Flame constructed four towers around it. Shine then began to dig in the castle, making a gate. Together, they lifted Zeal and placed him on top of the castle. By using seaweed, they concocted a crown for Zeal. "Now I'm king of the world..." Zeal said, rolling his one eye.

Meanwhile, Axl had a problem. The fact was, he couldn't swim. And he _was_ in the water. So, he held on to Brendan's headband for dear life. Brendan was currently trying to swim to the shore, since Muddy dove and swam underneath him, randomly firing blasts of water up. When Brendan reached the shore, Axl fell down. "My whole life flashed by in seconds... Hell, it was boring!" he said.

Brendan started to walk towards a food stall.

May had fallen asleep. A Cacnea and Makuhita were burying her. "Hey!" Flame yelled. "What do you think you're doing to my Trainer?".

"_Your_ Trainer?" Cacnea replied "We found her first!". Flame inhaled, but before she could fry Cacnea, Makuhita had already slapped her, sending her flying. Ralts: "Why did you do that, meany!". He tried Confusion at Makuhita, but Cacnea Faked him Out, and Makuhita then slapped him.

Shine then headbutted Cacnea. Cacnea headbutted back, throwing Shine on his back. "Can't...get...up...".

"Aye! Are we havin' a sco'ish parti ere?" Axl asked, walking towards them. "Eh, why did you bury Brendan's lassie?". "She is meant to be with Wally!" Ralts murmured, his head stuck in the ground. "Aye, we'll talk 'bout that later! But first, why did ye bury her?". "Mind your own business!" Makuhita yelled, headbutting Axl. "Gree man! This _is_ me business!". BAM. Another headbutt.

"You want some?" Axl then asked the Cacnea while kicking the fainted Makuhita. "Eh...". "_You want some_?" Axl roared with a voice closely resembling a Salamance.

Cacnea ran for it. "Aye! And now I'm gonna get me somethin' te eat!".

Wally, who had just returned from a disastrous surfing trip, also walked in the direction of the food stall while drying his hair with a towel. May ignored the fact that she was covered with sand and also walked towards the food stall.

"Guys? Hey! Can anyone hear me? Hello? It's me, Zeal! You are all eating and such, but I'm still here, buried in the sandcastle! It's getting high tide! And I can't swim! Hey!" Zeal screamed. But nobody heard him, since they were all eating. "Hey! I'm getting water up me nose! Heeelp!".

Zeal opened his eyes. HELLO THERE a black-robed figure carrying a scythe said.

- - - - -

This chapter was a bit short... but the next one will be more then double as long... oh god...


	15. Muddy Live!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Terry Pratchett. Nor do I own any of the songs mentioned in this story. _Nor_ do I own Star Wars._ Nor_ do I own Mission Impossible or Coca-Cola.

You should know, I don't have the actual text of the songs, so if you see any mistakes, please mail me.

CHAPTER 15: MUDDY LIVE!

"Death, I presume?" Zeal asked. YES a voice in Zeal's head answered. "Oh hell, am I dead or something?".

NOT QUITE. "But I'm talking to a skeleton!". STRANGE, ISN'T IT? "Well, yes it is.". IT IS GETTING LATE. YOU SHOULD WAKE UP SOON. "Wake up? Oh, I get it. I'm asleep!". THAT'S RIGHT.

Death walked away, and grabbed the rein of a big, white horse. He mounted the horse. BYE.

Zeal really opened his eyes. He was floating. Floating in water. His eye was pointed upwards. Since he could barely move, he couldn't see anything but the sky.

"Silcoon!Help!". Then, Zeal got lifted out of the water. He saw two curious blue eyes look at him. Two eyes, a face and a lot of green hair. "Zeal? What are you doing here? Willy, let's go back to the beach.".

Wally was sitting, legs crossed, on top of Willy. After a short sailing trip, Zeal felt that Wally was walking. He walked towards May, who was searching madly for Zeal.

"Latias, Wally! You found Zeal! Thank you!". "It's nothing...". Wally murmured.

He handed her Zeal, and in return she kissed him on the cheek. Wally's face turned red, making a nice contrast with his hair. May didn't notice, she was hugging Zeal.

Brendan did notice, he saw the whole thing, his mouth hanging wide open. Wally, now entirely red, jumped into the water. As a result, clouds of steam appeared.

After a lot more of swimming, ("Wally! May! Don't make my hair get wet!"), building another sandcastle ("No, I'm not gonna be king anymore! No, put me down!") and pushing Shine in the water ("Ralts, I'm gonna kill you!"), they got dressed up and went to the Centre in Slateport.

After showering ("Wally, give my ant-dandruff shampoo back, or I'll kill you! And if I don't, my dandruff will!"), they went out again.

"It's still six o'clock, so we can go to the cinema!" May proposed. "Yeah! To the new star Wars movie!" Wally said, jumping up and down. "Nah, better wait until it's available on DVD... I've heard it isn't that good." Brendan replied (Author's note: I disagree!). "Look, a museum!" Brendan then said, lifting Muddy from his shoulder and putting him on the ground. "Ocean exposition... you sure this is going to be worthwhile?" Wally asked, angry about Brendan's comment on Star Wars (he's a big fan). "Why not?" May said. "The cinema is closed, by the way." she said, pointing a finger at the sign saying 'Cinema closed for a day due to electric malfunction'. "Seems like we don't have much choice..." Brendan spoke, shaking his head.

When they entered, a lady behind the cash desk told them that "Pokémon aren't allowed in here.".

They went out again, and gave their pokémon instructions. "You just wait here. If anyone gets close, hold up this sign." May said, handing them a piece of paper with 'do not touch' written on it.

Having done that, they went in. "Most of the earth is covered by water..." Wally read out loud. "Honestly, as if I didn't know that already...". They were on the ground floor, watching a exposition consisting of water and stones. "Booring!" May said, leaning against a wall. Brendan, looking at a rare stone, scratched his head.

"It ain't that much fun...". "Guys look at this!".

Meanwhile, the pokémon (except Willy, who still was inside his pokéball) were looking at some strange people dressed in white and blue pirate-like clothes, climbing into a window. On the first floor. By climbing into a tree and jumping to the window. Most of them fell down.

The pokémon were watching quite a good show. "What are they doing?" Shine asked. "Trying to get inside the building, of course." Muddy answered. "Ain't that Team Aqua members?" Ralts noticed. Zeal: "You bet they are!". Axl: "Shouldn't we warn our trainers, then?". "But we can't even get inside the building!". "Yes we can!" Flame said, walking towards an airshaft.

"How do we get up there? We won't fly up". Muddy said sarcastically. "Yes we will!".

- Currently, in the museum, our three trainers were looking at a large, crystal-clear gem. "Pretty, isn't it?" May asked. "Yeah, and look at this...".-

Muddy was using Water Gun at high power. Using the boost obtained by the Water gun, the pokémon were shot up, into the airshaft, and raised vertically until they found a ledge from which they could pull themselves up. Axl went first ("Whooohooo!"). Then, Zeal went, Flame and Shine sitting on top of him. Ralts went last.

"And how am I supposed to get up?" Muddy yelled. Flame: "See that rope around your leg?". "What rope? Oh, that rope. Wait, you're not going to... aaah!". Muddy got pulled up and repeatedly banged into the walls. "Now what?". "Have you seen Mission Impossible?". "No". "Well, it goes just like that.".

- "Petrus Luna... Right...". "Wally, it's just a Moonstone...". -

The pokémon were looking down another shaft, into a hall down below. "Look, a Aqua got inside!" Ralts whispered. "No kidding..." Muddy said, looking down. "Let me see!" Zeal said. So, they rolled him towards the shaft.

"Aha. So there they areaaah!". Zeal lost his balance, and crashed down into the head of the Aqua. "Ralts!" Flame whispered "Lift Zeal back up!". "Um..". Ralts closed his eyes, trying to focus. Zeal started to float upwards.

Another Aqua walked around the corner, seeing his comrade lying on the floor and a floating Silcoon next to him.

"Ralts, move Zeal to the left, fast!" Flame ordered. Ralts, his eyes still closed, turned his head a bit. Zeal shot to the left, into the second Aqua's stomach. "Yeah Ralts, that was gree!" Axl yelled, as he jumped down and gave the Aqua a finishing aerial headbutt.

- "And look at this painting...and the one next to it...beautiful...". "Wally, that's a glass plate. Why are you looking at May through it?". -

All the pokémon got down. Three more Aquas came round the corner. One lifted Axl by his tail, and held him before his face.

"What are these doing in here?". Axl bit him. The Aqua flung Axl away. "You want more? Aye!" Axl yelled, as he grabbed the Aqua's ear, pulled himself up and gave him a headbutt. The Aqua made a sound resembling a little pig, and fell down.

The second Aqua was burned by Flame, ant number three ran into a wall (Ralts confused him). Axl and Flame high-fived. Then, they all ran (or rolled) down the hall.

- "Hey, why don't you take a look at this?" May said. When they looked, they saw a big, blue gem that seemed to shine from the inside. "And, what exactly is it?". -

"What are they doing?" Zeal asked. Muddy, who was looking around the corner at a large room in which Aqua were doing…something, said:

"Beats me.". Flame: "Eh...seems like they are... Get back!".

An Aqua saw them. Shine grabbed Zeal, and used him as a bowling ball. "Strike!" Muddy yelled, as the Aqua tripped.

"Go, Zubat/Poocheyena/Magikarp/Machop!" the Aquas yelled, releasing their pokémon.

The two groups faced each other, growling. Muddy stepped forward. "Why must we fight?" he asked.

- "I don't know. But it sure is pretty..." May said. "Hey, there is a vending machine here!". -

"Why must we fight? Why don't we work together, to make _the world a better place_?". Flame: "Oh no...".

Muddy grabbed a microphone. The Aqua's pokémon raised their eyebrows...

- Brendan was trying to get a vending machine to work. By kicking it. "Damn! Latios, I did put in money! Why doesn't this thing work!". "Hey, do you hear singing, too?". -

"_Make it a better place... For you and for me and the entire pokémon race..._". Axl and Ralts were standing hand in hand with the opponent's pokémon. And they were all singing. Waving their hands (or paws, or fins) in the air. "Where did that stage come from?" Flame asked. Then, Shine began a solo.

- "No, I don't hear anything.". "I could swear I heard singing...". -

"_Halleluja , the bells will be ringing..._" Everyone was holding up candles. "_Halleluja!_" they all sang.

- "There it is again! Can you hear it?". "Maybe...". "Hm, it stopped...". -

"_We shall overcome... We shall overcome... We shall overcome one day..."._ "Oh hell." Flame said.

- "There! Now do you hear it?". -

"_Where is all my soul sisters?"_ Flame yelled. "_Let me hear ya soul, sister!"_ a female Machop yelled back, climbing onto the stage. "_Hey sistah, go sistah, yo sistah, soul sistah!"_. They both sang. Suddenly, they heard a electric guitar chord. Muddy and Shine were holding guitars.

- "I hear it, too! But it doesn't sound like singing... I mean, I can't hear words. It sounds more like...". -

"_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? __Yeah, yeah yeah..."._

- "Light?". "What?". "Stupid vending machine! I wanted normal Coca-Cola! not Coca-Cola Light!" Brendan said, kicking the machine again. -

"_Princess of the universe!"_. And after a while: _"I'm flying without wings..."_.

- "Fricin' vending machine... Hey! Do you hear that?". -

"_That's the way, ahuh ahuh! He likes it! Ahuh ahuh!_".

- "Yes, I do hear it again! It's coming from upstairs!". -

"Yeah, sister!" Flame yelled, high-fiving the Machop. "An now..." Axl roared, "A sco'ish bagpipes song!".

- "It sounds like... bagpipes?". -

"And now, the grand finale!" Muddy said, climbing on top of Zeal, microphone still in one hand. He threw his guitar at Ralts. "Light out! Spot on! Yeah!". Shine struck a chord. "_I wanna be, the very best, like no one ever was..._". Shine and Ralts both started playing.

- "No, it ain't bagpipes, it sounds more like...". -

"_To catch them is my real quest, to train them..."_.

- "Hell, is that what I think it is?". -

"_Pokémon, gotta catch ' em all..."_.

- "This can't be...". -

"_You teach me and I teach you, POKÉMON!"_.

- "This doesn't make sense! We're inside a museum!" Brendan yelled. "Don't care!" Wally said, nodding his head to the beat. -

"An that's all folks!" Muddy yelled while being dragged off the stage by Flame. "I love you all!" he yelled, before fainting. As did all the Zubat, Poocheyena, Magikarp and Machop. In other words, the Aquas lost the battle. The Aquas themselves were knocked out by some pokémon hooligans.

Ralts, Zeal and Axl ran for it. Muddy was lifted on top of Shine, who trying to get away, too. Shine: "Why are we running?". Flame: "Coz May is coming up the stairs! And we shouldn't be here, remember?".

They all jumped out of an open window, and landed on top of some garbage cans. After getting back to the museum entrance, they collapsed.

- "What the..." Brendan said. "What happened?". KO'd Aquas and were everywhere. As were a lot of pokémon.

"Latias, I'm gonna call the police!" May said, already running down the stairs.

After some questioning by the police, they left the museum.

"Aww, just look at that!" May said, seeing all their pokémon curled up and asleep. They carefully lifted them, and walked back to the pokémon Centre. After eating (and scolding Wally, who kept humming the pokémon theme), they went to sleep. Wally made a big mistake by lying underneath Brendan in the bunk beds.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

- - - - -

Damn, this was a long chapter! Don't you agree? No, I wasn't talking to the reader, I was talking to the cat sitting on my lap. Aww, are you a good kitty? Yes you are! Look, at al the words on the computer screen! Impressive, eh? Bad kitty! Don't put your nails there! Off!

Ow... Ah, now I _am_ speaking to you, reader. Long chapter eh? I think I'll walk to the fridge to get some ice to put on my leg, (that cat has got large nails...), and then I'll write the next chapter! Bye!


	16. Thunder and Lightning

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

CHAPTER 16: CATCHING THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

The next morning, Brendan, Wally and May woke up (surprise!).

After having breakfast, they started to walk towards Mauville. When they had walked for more than an hour, May got challenged by a female Picnicker.

"Three on three! Go, Shroomish!". "Come on, Flame! Flamethrower!". The Flamethrower hit target and Shroomish fainted. "Return! Go, Skitty! Tackle her!". Skitty then tackled Flame. "Flame, Peck!". "Jump to the left!". Flame missed, and tripped. "Skitty, Body Slam!". "When she's above you, Scratch!". Skitty got scratched, and fell down. "Take distance and toast her!". Flame did another Flamethrower, and defeated Skitty. "Skitty, return! Get 'em, Meditite!".

"Flame, return and get some rest!". May frowned her eyebrows. "Meditite is a Psychic-type..." she thought. "Go, Shine!". Shine faced the Meditite. Who closed his eyes. "Shine, concentrate! He's trying to use a Psychic attack!". Shine endured the attack without receiving real damage. "Metal Claw!".

"Evade, and use Hi Jump Kick!". The Metal Claw did hit, but Meditite jumped and kicked Shine. Shine received major damage (Fighting vs. Steel/Rock!), and almost collapsed. "Another Jump Kick!". Meditite jumped once more.

"Damn!". May thought. "Wait a second... Shine, use Sand-attack, then roll aside!". Shine hurled sand at Meditite, and rolled. Meditite missed, and crashed into the ground.

"Finish it! Headbutt!". "Aye!" Shine yelled, imitating Axl. He rammed Meditite, who fainted.

"Yeah!" May yelled, raising her arms. Shine tried to do that, too, but he fell onto his back. "You did a great job!" May said while lifting Shine up and putting him on top of her bandana. "It's high up here! I'm afraid of heights!" Shine yelled, but nobody listened. "Help!".

Later, Brendan trashed a male picnicker in a two on two battle using only Axl, and Wally completely annihilated a Blackbelt (who used _four_ Machop) with Ralts.

They came across a large building along the way, but it seemed closed. "Trick House" May read out loud from a sign. "Riiight...". They rang the bell, but nobody opened. So they moved on.

Damn!" a man inside the house swore. "If only they'd entered..." he said, deactivating an 'bucket filled with water behind the door' trap.

Wally, May and Brendan where walking through some tall grass when Brendan tripped. Both he and Muddy, who sat on his shoulder, said "Aaarg!" (well, Muddy said Kiiip, but I'm not writing that down since it's not funny enough).

When Brendan looked back, he saw a just awoken Electrike. Who was growling at him.

Brendan jumped back, and ordered Muddy to use Mud-Slap (he couldn't use Axl, since he had knocked himself out during the last battle by delivering a headbutt to a Geodude). Electrike evaded the Mud-Slap.

"Another Mud-Slap!". This time, the attack connected, dealing damage to Electrike. In return, Electrike tried to Spark Muddy, but he evaded.

Muddy once again Mud-Slapped Electrike, who in his turn used Spark on himself, causing his muscles to work better and faster. Electrike tackled Muddy at blinding speed, over and over.

"Muddy, Dig!". When Muddy was on four feet again, he dug himself in.

"Now, Mud-slap from under the ground!" Brendan ordered, reminding his first Gym battle. Electrike didn't expect this, and got hit.

Brendan quickly threw a pokéball, and captured the Electrike. "His name will be... Lightning." Brendan spoke.

After a few more wild pokémon and trainer battles (including May's failed effort to catch a Plusle), Mauville came into sight. "Look!" Wally said. "Yeah, yeah, we all see it, it's Mauville city..." Brendan replied, giving Wally a bored look. "No, I don't mean Mauville, Look to your left! A Magnemite!".

And indeed, to their left, a Magnemite was floating. "Go, Ralts! Confusion!". But since Magnemite as a Steel-type, he received little damage. Magnemite then did a Thunder Wave, paralysing Ralts. "Do I have anything effective against Steel?" Wally thought. "Willy can do Water Gun, but since Magnemite is also Electric...".

While Wally was racking his brain for a solution, Ralts moved on his on initiative. He lifted a boulder using Psychic, and hurled it at Magnemite. Magnemite fainted.

Wally, noticing this, whispered "Thank you, Jirachi!", and then threw a pokéball, catching the Magnemite.

"Ahuh! I caught a Magnemite!". "Well... Congrats, Wally!" May said, being optimistic. "You didn't do anything... I did al the thinking _and_ fighting..." Ralts murmured.

"Now what shall I call him..." Wally said, frowning his eyebrows. "How about Jolt?" Brendan purposed.

"Nah...sounds too fast...". "Two magnets and an eyeball?" Muddy purposed, but he was ignored.

"What do you think of Thunder?" May said. "Yeah, that's a great name!". If Wally had a tail, he would be wagging it. "Thanks May!".

"Okay, that's cool, but why don't we just hurry and get to Mauville before we're all soaked?" Brendan said.

It started to rain. Wally: "Crap, I've left my umbrella at Briney's boat!". It started to rain some more.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Wally yelled. The others were already running towards Mauville.

Then, it started to pour.


	17. Sir, Yes Sir!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

Note: Axl is still unconscious (see previous chapter), so Brendan can't use him in this chapter.

CHAPTER 17: SIR YES SIR!

Upon entering Mauville, Brendan, Wally and May went straight for the Gym, since it was the closest building around, and it was raining badly (don't blame me 'bout the location of the gym, this is _my_ story).

Inside, May released Flame and Shine (who had returned to their respective pokéballs since they couldn't stand the rain).

"Damn, it sure is raining out there..." Brendan complained, wringing his headband out.

"There's nobody here..." Wally said. "Hello?". Except for May, Wally, Brendan and their pokémon, the Gym was empty. Then, the door opened.

A man walked in, holding a bag of groceries. He had short blond hair, and wore a military uniform.

"Oh hell!" Brendan murmured. "This ain't happening...".

"ATTENTION! Soldier Brendan, what in Zapdos's name are you doing here? Answer!".

"Um... I moved to Hoenn a while ago, remember, uncle?". "WHAT?".

"Sir! I moved to Hoenn a week ago, Lieutenant Surge, Sir!" Brendan said, standing straight up in a military pose. "Who is this guy?" Wally asked Brendan.

"I HEARD THAT, SOLDIER!". Wally jumped into the air, terrified.

"Soldier!" Surge said, walking towards Wally. "Give me twenty!". "Twenty what?" Wally asked, automatically grabbing his wallet.

"Push-ups you sissy! Aaand, one! Two! Three! Four...".

While Wally was undergoing military discipline, May was hiding behind Brendan, who was still standing in his military pose. Brendan tried to maintain his natural face colour, and not turn red.

"Who is that?" May whispered, looking over Brendan's shoulder. "Lieutenant Surge. My uncle from my mother's side. He's the Gym Leader of Vermillion City. I don't know what he is doing here..." Brendan replied.

"Thirty-one! Thirty-two! Thirty-three...". Wally collapsed. "You...said...twenty...not...more...aaargh...".

"Wiseguy, eh? In the army, you don't live long with that kind of attitude! Ten more! Aaand one! Two!...".

Brendan became curious. "Lieutenant Surge! Do I have permission to ask a question, Sir?".

"Twenty-one! Permission granted, soldier Brendan! Twenty-two!".

"Sir! If I may ask you, Sir, what are you doing here, Sir?". "I'm currently replacing Sergeant Wattson! Who is off duty until further notice! Thirty! Thirty-one...".

"Uncle?". "Yes?". "Where has Wattson gone to?". "He's on vacation on the Sevii islands.".

"So... We can't challenge him?". "No, but you can challenge me instead! Let me guess, you and that green-hared sissy are taking the League challenge?".

Wally managed to say something: "Not...me...but...Brendan...and...May...".

"May? Who is May? Soldier Brendan, who is that young lady standing behind you?".

"Um... I'm May, Lieutenant, and Brendan and I would like to challenge you...". "Challenge accepted! We gather tomorrow at 05:00 AM in here!". "Sir, can't we just have our battle now?". "...All right Soldier! Ladies go first!".

So May went first. "We're doing a two on two battle! Go, Magneton!". "I choose you, Flame!".

They both threw their pokéballs. "Magneton, Thunder Wave!". "Evade, then Flamethrower!". Flame evaded the Jolt, and toasted Magneton.

"Soldier, use Tri Attack!". Magneton, badly damaged, fired a blast of ice, thunder and fire all at once towards Flame. Who got frozen. "You're earning your stripes! Thunderbolt!".

Flame got hit by a huge bolt of electricity, and fainted. "Flame, return! Go, Shine!". "Magneton, Sonic Boom!". The Sonic Boom connected, sending Shine flying.

"Stand up! Mud Shot!". The Mud Shot also connected. Magneton, already badly damaged, fainted. "Return soldier! Go, Ampharos! Headbutt!".

Ampharos charged towards Shine. "Shine, use Iron Defence!". Shine ducked, and then hardened. Ampharos got knocked back by her own attack, and landed on her back. "Now, Metal Claw!". Shine slashed Ampharos continually. "Soldier, Zap Cannon!" Ampharos glowed for a second, and then fired a yellow beam at shine. Due to the close range, Shine got hurled backwards, paralysed.

"Come on! Don't give up, Shine!". "Soldier, Take Down!". Ampharos ran towards Shine, and jumped.

"Now, Iron Tail!". Shine turned around, and Smacked Ampharos in the face, knocking her out (I don't know how a Aron can use Iron Tail, he doesn't even have a tail... but it doesn't matter…).

"Return, Ampharos! Well, seems like you've earned your Dynamo Badge!".

After May got her new Badge, it was Brendan's turn. "Two on two again, soldier! Go, Voltorb!". "Lightning, use Bite!".

Lighting immediately charged at Voltorb. "Screech, soldier!". Voltorb let out a horrible screech, stopping Lightning in his tracks.

"Sonic Boom!". "Use Quick attack to get away, then bite him!".

Lightning evaded the Sonic Boom and closed in on Voltorb, but had problems biting the ball-shaped pokémon. "Voltorb, Tackle!". Voltorb tackled Lightning.

"Now, Rollout!". Voltorb started to roll. "Evade!". Lightning evaded the first attack by rolling aside, but got hit in the back by the second one. While lying on the floor, Lightning got continually hit.

"Lightning, run to the left! To the wall!". "You won't escape! Voltorb, set chase!". "Lightning, jump!".

Voltorb missed, and crashed into the wall. Which severely damaged him. "Lightning, Spark on yourself, then Tackle!". Using the acceleration boost, Lightning shot forward and tackled Voltorb. "Voltorb, use Selfdestruct!". Voltorb turned white, and then exploded. Knocking out Lightning, as well.

"Lightning/Voltorb, return!" both trainers yelled. "Go, Raichu!". "Get 'em, Muddy!". "Tackle!" they both ordered.

The two pokémon charged into each other. "Now, Slam!". Raichu slammed Muddy with it's tail. "Hold on, Mud-Slap!". The blast of mud shot at Raichu knocked him over. "Muddy, tackle again!". "Wait untill he's close, then Mega Kick!". Raichu then kicked Muddy, sending him flying.

"Soldier, Tunderbolt!". "Muddy, Dig!". Muddy hid underground. Just in time, since a bolt of electricity got fired at him. "Now, attack!". Muddy arose from the ground, directly underneath Raichu. "Spark at once!".

Muddy got hit. "Now, Body Slam!". Raichu jumped at Muddy, who was lying on the floor. "Turn around and Mud-Slap continually!". Muddy turned around, whacking Raichu with his tail. Then he started to Mud-Slap him. "Objective change! Thunder!".

Thunderclouds appeared inside the Gym. "Don't stop Mud-Slapping!". Raichu was about to faint. A huge jolt of electricity shot towards Muddy. "Evade by rolling aside!". "Raichuuu!". Lightning struck.

Everything went white, then black. All the fuses had blown.

"Ralts, use Flash!" Wally ordered. Ralts started to flash. Everyone could clearly see that Raichu was knocked out. He was lying against a wall.

"Muddy? Where are you?" Brendan whispered. On the place where the lightning struck, the ground had been scorched. "Muddy? Where are you!". Brendan yelled. No response. He yelled again. Still, on one answered.

Brendan walked towards the place of impact, and kneeled. "Where are you... not again..." he whispered.

Brendan stood up, head pointed to the ground. He put his hands in his pockets. His fingers curled around his old Treecko's necklace, in his pocket. A single tear fell onto the ground. Then, another one.

"Please..." Brendan whispered.

"Raichu, return! Damn, Brendan, I didn't mean to...". Surge laid his hand on Brendan's shoulder. By now, the ground was soaked.

And moving.

A dirty, blue face stuck out of the ground, and looked at Brendan.

Brendan looked back.

"Muddy!". "Kip!Did ya miss me?".

- - - - -

Did it again! A sad part! I love a happy ending! Yay!


	18. To Fallarbor

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

CHAPTER 18: TO FALLARBOR

After receiving the Dynamo badge, Brendan, May and Wally went to the Pokémon Centre.

The next morning, they started to walk up Route 111. After a Double Battle in which Brendan (Lightning) and Wally (Thunder) fought against a Lombre and a Surskit (you can guess who won), they arrived at a house.

At first sight, nobody seemed home. May and Wally looked upstairs, while Brendan tried to distract Muddy. Who had found the fridge. Then, the front door opened.

A family walked in. "Uh... Hi!" Brendan stumbled, holding Muddy in one arm to ensure that he would leave the fridge alone. "Um... We heard that we could challenge your family, and...".

"Nope." Grandma said. "We can't accept your challenges, at the moment. We're just back from the Pokémon Centre, to heal our pokémon. We've just been defeated all in one row.".

Wally and May came down again. After they heard the explanation, too, they went outside again.

"Eh..." Wally said, "Did the one who defeated you use a Nidoking?". "Nidoking? No...". "Okay!". Wally, May and Brendan continued to walk along Route 111.

"...he used a Dragonite..." Grandma said.

After more walking, breaking some rocks lying in the way (Axl believed they were Scottish rocks, so he gave them a Glaswegian Kiss), and _not _walking into a desert (May: "There is sand in my hair!" Brendan: "Me too!" Wally: "That ain't sand..."), they found the entrance of a cave.

Next to it, was a house. Some Magmas were standing in front of it's door. But as soon as they saw May, they ran inside and locked the door.

"Why did they run away?" May asked herself out loud. "Hey! Come back you!" she yelled, trying to open the door.

"Why would we want to go in there?" Wally asked.

"See that?" May said, pointing her finger "It's a cable car! This thing is the only way to get to Lavaridge Town, or to Mt. Chimney!". "Seems like it's shut..." Brendan said while trying to open a window. "We'll just have to take the Jagged Pass to Fallarbor town...".

So, they did.

"Aaargh! It's hot in here!" Wally yelled. And indeed, it was _very_ hot inside the Jagged Pass.

"I think the heat is caused by all the Fire-pokémon here..." Brendan said, pointing a sweaty finger at some Slugma sitting on a rock. "Or it's just hot in here 'cause we are next to a active Volcano!" May said sarcastically.

"It _is_ hot in here!" Muddy said. "Well, I don't mind." Flame replied. "Yeah, but I _do_ mind! Hey, white-hair? Lift me up, will ya? The floor is burning my paws!". Brendan managed to ignore Muddy, who was yelling at him.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Brendan! White-hair! Albino-boy! Listen to me!". Brendan just gave Muddy a pat on the head, and then continued his discussion with May about how _active_ this volcano actually was.

"Hey! There's the exit!".

Wally jumped, and then began to run towards the exit of the damn hot cave.

"Fresh air!" he yelled, spreading his arms and inhaling. "Um, Wally, could you please walk a little bit further? You're blocking the way out!".

After having lunched (Bread, Butter and Berries), and having found Lightning, who _tried_ to flirt with a female Numel (Numel's skill is Oblivious, so Lightning didn't have any success), they continued their way towards Fallarbor Town.

"Are we there yet?" Wally demanded. "Not yet...".

Five minutes later: "Muddy?". "Yes, Lightning?". "Arewethereyet?". "What?". "Are-we-thereyet?". "Not yet... Try to cut on the sugar..." Muddy said against lightning, who was now chasing his own tail at

60 Km an hour (?).

Another five minutes later: "And now? Are we there now?". "Not yet, Wally...".

A bit more then five minutes later: "Flame? Arewethereyet?". "Sorry, I didn't hear you?". "Arewethereyet?". "Could you please repeat that? Slowly?". "Are-we-there-yet?". "Not yet, Lightning...".

"We aren't there yet, are we?". "Not yet…"

"Arewethe-". "Oh, just shut up!".

In the next few hours, Wally (and Lightning) asked the same question ten more times, and Brendan defeated a Cooltrainer (who used a Mighteyena and a Staryu. Lightning won single-pawly).

It was already evening when they arrived at a old house. When they knocked on the door, an old woman opened.

"You seem a little tired... Why don't you come in and take a rest here?" she murmured. They went inside.

"...take a rest here... That's a fine idea...". they had dinner.

"You should do that...". They slept. "...yes, rest up! That's a fine idea...". They woke up.

"Crivens! I'm telkin' sco'ish again! Can't she shu' up? Crivens!"' .

Shine: "Just calm down, Axl... Calm down... That's a fine idea... Did I just say that?".

They had breakfast. "You seem still tired, you should rest some more...". After thanking (twice) for their pleasant stay, they proposed to leave. "That's a fine idea...".

So they left. It was almost 11:00 AM when they arrived in Fallarbor Town.

- - - - -

Aaand that's the end of chapter 18… the rest of my fanfic'll be typed at home (with a _non-french_) keyboard. You might notice some writing style changes. It might take a few days before I update (since my chapters are short, I've decided to add a few chapters at the same time), but it shouldn't take more then a week… while writing this, I've already written another 11 chapters. Now I'm gonna type them… Reviews or something, please!


	19. Shoppin', Dancin', Catchin'

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

Hell, yeah! I'm back! It's vacation, and I'm gonna upload a few chapters!

CHAPTER 19: SHOPPIN', DANCIN' N' CATCHING

"Check it out! May screamed, holding up a purple T-shirt with a Azurill printed on it.

Indeed, they were shopping. Brendan and Wally were both holding bags filled with clothes. They tried to stand up right at the same time. Which was impossible.

So, they leaned against some shelves. As a result, the shelves fell over.

As did Brendan and Wally.

"Can't you guys even stand up straight?" May commented. "Why don't you carry _your_ new clothes yourself!" Brendan replied. But May ignored him.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked Flame, showing a blue shirt with a spiral pattern.

"You already have one… no, _two_ blue shirts with spirals!" Wally informed, searching through one of the bags.

"Yeah, you're right Flame. Spirals don't suit me. But look at that one!" she yelled, grabbing a pink, black-striped shirt with no sleeves.

May pulled, but the shirt wouldn't budge. Since another hand was pulling the other way.

This hand was owned by a black-haired girl, about 18 years old. She wore her hair in a ponytail, and was dressed in a white T-shirt with short sleeves, black pants that reached her knees, and sandals.

"I saw it first!" she commented.

"No, I saw it first! Didn't I, Brendan?" May replied. Brendan: "Well, um…" "See?".

"But… I saw it first!". "No, you didn't!". "Yes I did!".

By now, both May and the other girl were pulling the shirt, which got torn apart.

Girl: "Oh no! Look what you've done!". "What _I've _done! This is your doing!". "No, it's your fault!". "It's yours!". "You mean the shirt?". "No, IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU TORE THE SHIRT APART!".

Wally walked over to Brendan.

"That's what I'd call a catfight, right?". Brendan nodded. "Yes indeed." Someone behind Wally said.

When Wally looked around, he saw a guy, about 20 years old, with red, curled hair. He wore a purple and white horizontally striped T-shirt, White trousers, and black leather shoes.

"Who're you?" Brendan asked, also having notified him.

"I'm Bill. And who might you be?". "Well, I'm Brendan and the guy standing next to me is Wally. The girl over there with the red bandana and… large hammer!".

May was now screaming against the other girl, while holding a hammer in one hand…

"Anyway, that's May." Brendan said.

Now, the shopkeeper noticed all the commotion, and demanded that they'd both pay half for the shirt.

This caused even more violence.

Brendan and Wally both took cover.

- Some negotiations later –

Brendan, May and Wally stepped outside the shop. As did Bill and...

"This is Lanette." Bill announced.

"Um, hi…" Lanette said. "Sorry 'bout the shirt… I can understand that you'd want the shirt I found, too…". "Hey! I saw the shirt first!". "No, I did.". "No, you didn't!". "Yes I did!".

"Let's change subject, shall we?". Bill said, standing between the two girls, hands raised and grinning madly.

"All right, hon'." Lanette sneered, grabbing Bill's wallet. "Look! A sale!".

The two girls charged towards the shop.

"We won't be seeing her for a while…" Wally said, shaking his head. "Nope…" Brendan replied, putting down some bags.

- Some minutes later -

When Lanette and May returned, Brendan, Wally and Bill were sitting in a bar drinking non-alcoholic drinks (or so the records say).

May was now wearing a purple cap, a black T-shirt with purple sleeves and a white pokéball logo printed on it, a black mini-skirt, black sneakers and long, white socks. Blackglasses placed on top of her cap and fingerless gloves finished the outfit.

Lanette wore something similar, except her clothes were blue and white and she did not wear a cap.

"And how much did this cost?" Billa sked. Lanette returned Bill's wallet to him. Bill placed the wallet on top of his left hand, and noticed that it had lost a lot of weight. Lanette then began to load her bags onto bill.

"Why don't you guys come round for dinner tonight?" Bill asked, trying to lift a bag of shoes.

"Sure!" May replied, entirely ignoring the looks on Brendan and Wally's faces.

After Bill and Lanette left, Brendan asked: "Do you even know where they live? I mean, if we're gonna go this evening…". "Of course I know!" May replied. "Lanette's house is on Route 114, towards Meteor Falls. I purpose that we go to the Pokémon Centre to lunch, and then start walking. It's quite a long way.".

"So… Why are we walking, again?". "Coz we're gonna visit some guy we met this morning, Muddy." Flame replied.

They were walking down Route 114, and Brendan had just defeated a Hiker, who used two Geodude, with Axl ("since when is Headbutt a Figthing-type attack!". "Since I tell ya it is! Gree!"). And a little while ago May had a 1 on 1 match against a Cooltrainer ("Shine, Mud-Slap on that Vulpix!"). It was getting late.

"It's already six o'clock, and we haven't even reached the bridge yet…" Wally complained. May: "The sun is already setting… does anyone have a torch?". "Chick?". "Yeah, Flame could help, too…".

Wally scratched his head. Well, he tried to scratch his head. The reason that he didn't, was that the fact was, it wasn't possible since there was quite a difficult and alarming problem.

Wally tried to scratch his head again while thinking about the previous sentence.

He knew he was scratching his head, since he could feel he scratched something with his arm, but he didn't feel his head being scratched. So, there was now clear evidence that he was now scratching something else, which was located on top of his head.

"Um, guys, is something sitting on my head?" Wally asked. "Can't see… it's too dark… Flame, use Ember, will ya?". Flame used Ember. "Wally, there are two possibilities: either your hair has suddenly turned white, or something is indeed sitting on your head. An, Wally, you better stop scratching.".

Wally stopped scratching, because a small, sharp beak was holding his thumb. Wally pulled back his thumb.

Everyone heard a loud 'snap'. "OW! That thing bit my finger! Now, Thunder, use Thundershock!".

Wally didn't realize in time that the Thundershock target was sitting on top of his head. He got thrown back by the force of impact, and the Swablu on his head (in case you didn't already figure that out) fell down, too. Wally quickly reached for a pokéball, and catched the badly damaged Flying-type.

I'm not gonna describe the following conversation, since you can guess how it went. It included a lot of 'Yay', 'congrats', and 'I caught a…'. The Swablu was named Alt.

After walking some more, they reached the bridge.

"Can you see the other side?" May asked. "Nope." Brendan replied. "There's a damn lot of fog over there…". May again: "If we walk behind each other, and hold hands, we should be able to reach the other side without falling into the water.". So they did.

Muddy: "Yeah, polonaise!" Ralts: "Muddy, this ain't a polonaise." Axl: "What's a polonaise? Isn't that something from Poland?" Shine: "You can't eat it. It's a dance." Lightning: "You mean we're dancing? Flame, fancy a tango?" (flame slaps him in the face) Flame: "Not even if you were the last, the last, um…um…on earth! Thunder?". "Yes?". "Think up something, please?". "…'last, um…um…on earth' SEARCHING… DICTIONARY…GOOGLE… 1045 HITS… PERMISSION TO READ ALOUD?". "Only the first one.". "FIRST ONE… 'the only whiskey on earth that dissolves spoons'.". "The second one, please.". "SECOND ONE… 'you're the only man on earth who ever asked to marry me… A lot of woman have already asked, though.'.". "Third one!". "THIRD ONE… 'the platypus is the only mammal on earth who lays eggs'.". "Ah, forget it.". "You mean we can dance?". "No, Lightning.". "But…". "I said no! And if you continue speaking to me like that, I'll fry you!".

They reached the other side.

"There's a house!" Brendan said. "No kidding…" Wally replied.

May rang the doorbell.

- - - - -

And that's a wrap! Chapter 20 is coming up soon, and it's going to be great! I'll even reveal the name of the next chapter here… so listen carefully…

GUNDAM, PIZZA N' MELEE!

I'll update soon, really!


	20. Gundam Pizza Melee

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Metroid (Prime), Mario, Luigi, F-Zero, Nintendo Gamecube, Fire Emblem, Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed, Ghost in the Shell, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Naruto, Love Hina, Yumeria, any kind of pizza, a Plasma screen, or Eddie Murphy.

I will be a bit hard to fully understand this chapter if you haven't played Super Smash Brothers: Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube. I f you haven't played it, go buy it, play it, and then read this chapter!

CHAPTER 20: GUNDAM, PIZZA N' MELEE

(three words, gundam, pizza and melee, not a game called 'Gundam Pizza Melee', which would be a very nice title)

Lanette opened the door. "Hi! Come on in!" she said, stepping back to let the others in.

"I know, my house is a mess, but I've cleaned the living room."

When they entered the living room, Bill greeted them and then continued to play Super Smahs Brothers: Melee on the Nintendo Gamecube.

"Come on and join in!" he said, while scrolling to the character selection screen. Brendan and Wally both sat down on some pillows and grabbed a controller. May occupied a chair and received a controller from Bill. Lanette went to the kitchen.

"Who should I pick?" Wally asked. : Just some character you like!" Brendan replied, picking Roy. "Now where is Samus…" May murmured. "Ah, there she is…".

Bill picked Captain Falcon. Wally ended up picking Luigi on accident.

The fighting stage was Battlefield.

"Ready…GO!" al hollow voice shouted. Bill began to trash Wally, who didn't know how to evade.

Brendan got wrecked by May, who used long-distance attacks to stop Roy in his tracks.

"Hey guys…" Lanette yelled from the kitchen, "Do you mind if I just order some pizza? I'm not that good at cooking…". Bill sent Wally flying, and then replied "Yeah, good idea. Just order the same as yesterday, but skip the ansjovis!".

"Now, I've got you, you…" Brendan yelled as he did a Double Edge Dance (forward B) to send Samus off the edge. "You… who or what is Samus, anyway?". "Galactic Federation Bounty Hunter Samus Aran." May replied while bomb-jumping to reach the stage, "And now in plain English?" Brendan asked, charging up a Flare Blade (B). "Well, she is a bounty hunter, and…". Samus got hit by an almost completely charged Flare Blade. "Damn! Well, anyway, she hunts Metroids and Space Pirates… and Ing in Metroid Prime 2, but I didn't like that one much… Prime 1 was better…". "Wait, you just said 'she'?". "Yes, Samus Aran is a woman. Got anything against that?" May said while smashing Roy off-screen.

Lanette joined in. She received Wally's controller (Wally had been trashed completely) and began to beat the cr beep out of C. Falcon with Luigi.

"Who is Roy, anyway?" May asked Brendan while using Samus's taunting pose. "Well, he is the main character of Fire Emblem 6, and gets mentioned in 7, which is a prologue…in 7 you play with Eliwood, Roy's father…Marquess of Pherae…". Roy juggled Samus.

Meanwhile, Lanette got lucky and misfired using a forward B attack. C. Falcon got sent flying towards Roy, who caught him up with Blazer (up B). Samus grabbed Luigi and threw him towards Roy again, who used a downward Smash. Samus then attacked Roy with an aerial, fully charged B attack, making Roy fly from the stage. C. Falcon smashed Luigi upwards.

"Screw you!" May yelled as she attacked Luigi with a few airborne attacks and finished it with upwards B. "That's not nice…" Lanette commented as she saw Luigi getting thrown against the screen. "It wasn't meant to be nice!" May replied, dodging a Falcon Punch.

Then, the doorbell rang. "I'll go." Bill said, handing Wally the controller.

Twenty minutes later, Brendan, Wally, May, Lanette and Bill were all sitting in a room next to the living room, eating pizza and looking at a 3x3m Plasma Screen with some old Eddie Murphy movie playing.

May was feeding Flame and Shine bits of pizza. Lightning was flirting with a female Jolteon (owned by Bill). Bill and Lanette were feeding each other slices of pizza. Wally was watching the movie while trying not to notice Bill and Lanette's snogging… Ralts was listening to Thunder, who was explaining how a video recorder worked. Zeal got thrown around by a Eevee and some Eevee-lutions who thought Zeal was a ball. Alt (Wally's new Swablu) was amusing himself with talking to parrots in a cage.

An hour later, when all the pokémon had finished eating and started to get bored, Axl, Muddy, Flame and Ralts found the earlier mentioned Nintendo Gamecube in the living room.

"What'd happen if I press this button…" Muddy said, pressing the big white button on top of the NGC.

The tv screen flashed, and then a movie began.

The pokémon saw a Mario trophy being thrown, being enveloped in a blue light, and then the words 'Nintendo All-Stars presents' flashed. The pokémon were like, WOW!

(a little while later) "Super Smash Brothers: Melee!" a hollow voice shouted. Flame grabbed a controller. She pressed start, then picked 'VS Mode', 'options'. She set the time limit to zero, and pressed start again.

"Melee!" the hollow voice shouted when the character selection screen appeared. Flame picked Zelda. Muddy, grabbing a controller, picked Marth, Axl selected Falco, and Ralts decided to use Mewtwo. Flame pressed start once more.

"Everyone, keep L pressed!" Flame said as she selected Hyrule Temple. The Fire Emblem Theme, 'Together, we ride' began (yes, I am a fanboy).

Flame pressed down+B , making Zelda transform into Sheik. Then, she evaded Marth (Muddy)'s running attack, and retaliated with a continuous A attack.

Ralts button bashed. Axl got hit. While swearing Scottish words I can't translate, He carefully beated the crap out of Ralts.

Five minutes later, (almost) every pokémon in the house was either playing SSB:M and trashtalking, or watching SSB:M and trashtalking.

In the mean time, another fierce battle was taking place.

Bill vs. Brendan, 'who can eat the most slices of pizza'.

Bill was lying ahead, but Brendan managed to keep up with him.

"Aaand Bill is in the lead, ladies and not-very-gentle men! But Brendan is keeping up well… This one'll be an neck-to-neck race!" Alt commented.

May and Lanette were both cheering, while Wally (with Alt sitting on his head) tried to write down the current score.

- in the other room -

The pokémon were now doing a Super Sudden Death Match in Rainbow Cruise, and the contestants were Shine (Bowser), Zeal (Kirby, don't ask me how Zeal can use a controller), Thunder (dr. Mario) and Lighting (DK).

Supercharged with sugar, Lightning was hammering down+B like a madman.

Logically, he was winning. Untill the ship fell down.

"Kiss my beep !" Shine yelled, as he made Bowser butt-stomp into Kirby.

"Don't think so!" Zeal replied, evading the butt-stomp and swallowing Bowser.

Thunder (dr. Mario) jumped in and smashed, sending both Bowser and Kirby off-screen.

"DICTIONARY…SEARCHING…3872 HITS…COMMENCE READING OUT LOUD: Kiss my beep , you beep ! You can beep my beep ! beeeeep !".

"Wow, Thunder, where did you learn those words? I didn't even know half of them! What does beep mean?".

"Well, beep means…".

- in the other room -

Bill surrendered. "Aaand the winner is…B-boy!" May yelled, grabbing Brendan's hand and holding it into the air.

Brendan's only reply was saying "Aargh", and then rushing off to the toilet.

Wally was ignoring the festivities. Instead, he was peeking into a drawer filled with Anime-DVDs.

"Ghost in the Shell…Shingetsutan Tsukihime…Naruto…Gundam Seed…Love Hina! And…Yumeria…Wow! Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Limited Edition! Ey Lanette, can we go and watch this one…".

- other room -

Meanwhile, the SSB:M battle was still going on. This time, in Final Destination.

Now, the controllers had been occupied by Muddy (Marth), Flame (Samus), Thunder (Fox) and Zeal (Link).

Muddy was having difficulties to get Zeal off the platform, and Flame got beaten up by Thunder, who had now hacked the Gamecube and was now doing some lightning-fast comboing.

The other pokémon were either cheering, swearing or both. Axl, of course, in Scottish.

- other room, again -

By now, in the other room, everyone had put on pyjamas (sleep over or something, I guess… No, please don't expect anything funny, I have to think about my PG rate) and was either lying in a sleeping bag asleep, or lying in a sleeping bag watching 'Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz', since Wally had demanded that they'd watch this movie. While Bill and Lanette were doing some 'cuddling' (naughty…), Brendan was almost breaking through the sound barrier with his snoring, and Wally tried to ignore Brendan's snoring while staring at the tv-screen (where Duo was piloting a spaceship and flying towards Colony X-18999, if you don't understand this, I understand) May walked out of the room looking for her pokémon.

When she grabbed the doorknob, all the pokémon made a run for it.

Zeal rolled behind the door, Shine climbed onto a desk and imitated a really ugly toaster, Axl and Ralts crawled underneath a desk, Lightning gave his muscles a jolt and ran out of the room (without May noticing him) and Thunder floated upwards t a lamp, with Muddy clinging onto one of his magnets.

Flame didn't take notice in time.

So, when May looked into the living room, all she saw was Flame, staring at the tv-screen.

"What are you doing here?" she asked while lifting Flame up. "Someone must've left the Gamecube on…" she said, while turning the power off.

May turned around, and walked out of the room, Flame still in her arms.

After a few minutes, the other pokémon crept out of their hiding positions.

Shine: "Damn! She turned off the purple cube-thingy!". Ralts: "Muddy, do you remember how you turned on that thing?". Muddy: "What thing? If you mean female Mudkip…". "No, I mean the purple cube-thingy!". "Ooh, that thing! Well, everyone, stand back! I'll turn this thing on!".

All the other pokémon stepped back. Muddy slowly stepped towards the Gamecube, and…

He began to stroke his tail against the Gamecube's back.

"Um, guys, I'm not supposed to do this with a purple, plastic cube…" Muddy murmured.

"You perv!" Ralts yelled, "You're supposed to press a button! In order to make this thing work!". "You mean that? Why didn't you say that sooner?".

Muddy pressed a button. The top of the Gamecube opened.

"Sorry, wrong button!" Muddy said, pressing a white button.

Now, the tv-screen flashed. Axl grabbed a controller. A purple, square menu appeared onscreen.

"We didn't have this the last time we played…" Axl murmured while pointing the control stick down. Another menu appeared.

"Now what?" Zeal asked, looking at the screen which asked to choose between a 'A' and a 'B'.

"We'll just choose A, okay?" Axl said, pressing the A button. Another menu appeared, filled with icons.

Axl pressed the A button again. Yet another tiny menu appeared.

"What should we choose?" Muddy asked. Axl: "Well, 'erase' sounds cool…"

- other room -

Wally was crying. "It's just a movie…" Bill said, patting Wally on the back.

Wally said nothing. He simply kept looking at the tv-screen, where a badly damaged Wing Zero fired a Twin Buster Rifle shot. Destroying Brussel's presidential residence and himself, too.

Wally: "Noooo!". "Keep it down, will ya?".

- not this room -

The pokémon were having fun. "My turn!" Muddy yelled while snatching the controller from Shine.

They all thought it was very amusing to select an icon and then choose 'erase'. After choosing 'yes', the icon was gone! Hilarious.

- the room that should've gotten a name by now -

Wally blew his nose. "Now comes the good part…" he said, as Heero dropped his gun and fell down.

"Latias, it's just a movie! Keep it down a bit!" May said, looking how Wally blew his nose again.

- I really should stop doing this -

"All the icons are gone!" Ralts murmured. "And it was my turn!". Muddy: "Don't worry, if I press the white button two more times, we can do this again!".

Muddy pressed the same button twice. Then, Axl instructed Ralts to push the control stick down, press A, press A again, and choose…

"Where did the pictures go?" Axl asked. Instead of icons, the words 'memory card is empty' appeared.

:This ain't fun…" Shine said. "Let's go back to the other room…". So they did.

- finally, for the last time… in the other room -

Wally blew his nose with a new handkerchief (the old one had been 'blown' to pieces). Alt was humming 'White Reflection' along with the credits. Brendan woke up.

"Do I hear 'White Reflection'?" he asked. Then, he looked at the tv-screen, seeing the last credits flash by.

"Hey, did you guys just watch Endless Waltz? Without telling me!". "You know Gundam Wing?" Wally asked.

"Course I know GW! Who do you think I am? Did you enjoy seeing Deathscythe Hell Custom?". "Nah, I liked Wing Zero Custom more… I mean, angel wings, isn't that cool?". "Maybe, but 02 is way cooler! He has a Beam Scythe!". "Oh, please! He had that thing in the series, too… Zero Custom on the other hand, is fast, stylish, powerful…". "Hell Custom is also stylish and fast! He has a Cloacking Device, his Beam Scythe is the most powerful close combat weapon there is…". "No! Epyon's Beam Sabre is much more powerful!". "In Gundam Wing, yes! But we're talking about Endless Waltz, an OVA! Epyon doesn't exist there!". "Your Beam Scythe gets blown away by Zero's Twin Buster Rifle! That baby has got enough power to destroy a Space Colony with one shot!". "It's slow and can be used only three times. That's not what I call great.". "But…".

This continued for some time.

"What are they talking about?" May asked, still holding Flame tight. "Who's a good Torchick…" Lanette said, patting Flame on the head.

"First I thought they were talking about Gundam, but I'm not so sure, now. It sounds like they're talking about someone's hairstyle…".

Brendan: "But Duo's hair is way cooler!". Wally: "No, Heero's hair is cooler!".

Lanette: "See what I mean?".

By now, the pokémon (at least, most of them) had curled up on top of their owners's sleeping bags, and were sleeping peacefully.

Bill yawned, and turned off the tv-screen. Then, he crept inside his sleeping bag, surrounded by his Eevee-lutions. Lanette laid down next to him (noth'n funny, in her own sleeping bag) and continued to watch Brendan and Wally argue.

"Hell, Deathscythe Hell pwns everything!". "In a one on one battle, Zero could outrun him and then blast his head off!". "But D'scythe has got a cloacking device…".

This continued for some time, until Wally agreed that both Wing Zero and Deathscythe had enough firepower to destroy another Gundam.

Then, they argued about… Well, I don't know. I fell asleep by then. Maybe Lightning knows. He stayed up late, plundering the fridge.

That night, Brendan and Wally both dreamed about huge robots beating the beep out of each other.

Bill had a dream involving both pizza and a football stadium.

Lanette dreamed about programming a remote controlled watch.

May dreamed about - "Hey! That's personal!".

The next morning, Brendan, May and Wally left Lanette's house after thanking her and Bill for their stay and telling them how great it was.

That afternoon, Bill would find out that his Gamecube's memory card had been erased, and Lanette would find out that the fridge had been plundered.

- - - - -

Yeah, another chapter finished!

This one was waaaay to long…

Did you like it? Then review!

I'll update after I've gotten more reviews!


	21. Inside Meteor Falls

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own any thing related to Terry Pratchett or Scotland.

I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far! Thanks!

CHAPTER 20: INSIDE METEOR FALLS

After walking for about two hours, they reached Meteor Falls.

May had just defeated both a male and a female Picnicker (using Flame and Shine), Wally and Willy challenged a Hiker and won, and Brendan defeated a Kindler with Muddy.

When they entered the cave, the first thing they saw was a huge waterfall.

In the cave, surrounded by beautiful gold-like rocks, water crashed down into a underground lake with a mighty roar.

"Wow, Axl, did you live here?" Shine asked. "Aye. I did. Gree, innit?". "Ahuh!" Zeal replied, staring at the waterfall with his one eye.

A lot of wild pokémon were swimming in the lake. Including Muddy, it seemed.

Who was swimming behind some female Goldeen and Barboach…

"Oh, Moltres…" Flame sighed, rolling her eyes.

In the mean time, Brendan, May and Wally were enjoying the view. Wally was searching for his camera in his bag. May sat down, removed her shoes and paddled with her feet in the water. Brendan tried to communicate with Axl.

"I don't see any other Bagon. Axl, do you know where they are? I mean, this is your home…".

"Ach, between all these big guys, a wee Bagon can't live! Bagon live 'n top of the Falls, where the cliffs are, ye ken?" ('ye ken' 'you know' in Scottish).

"Aha. I understand. And… why did we find you on Route 115?". "Bagon bagon gon.".

"Um, what did you say?". "Gon, bagon bagon ba!". "Did I really understand what you said, or am I just hallucinating?". "No ye're not.". "OK."

At this moment, the pokémon were organizing a rescue operation.

When Lightning found out that the female water pokémon were doing… nice things for and with Muddy, he jumped into the water. Now here's the problem: He can't swim.

"Idiot overboard!" Zeal yelled. Immediately, Alt flapped his wings and flew towards Lightning.

He grabbed one of Lightning's hind legs with his beak, and pulled. Unfortunately for Lightning, Alt failed to lift him out of the water completely. Alt only succeeded in lifting Lightning's rear, suffocating Lightning's head, which was now underwater.

"Kn smn pls hlp m sv ths fl?" Alt murmured. "What did you say?" Flame yelled.

Alt let go of Lightning's leg, enabling him to raise his head and breathe again.

"I said, can someone please help me save this fool!"

Ralts ran towards Wally, trying to get his attention. "Ral ral ralts! (translation:) Wally! Lightning has fallen into the water! Help!". But Wally simply kept searching his bag for his camera.

"Damn you!" Ralts yelled, using Confusion on Wally. Being hit by a psychic blow, Wally waved his arm towards Ralts and said "Not now, Ralts! I'm bushy!".

Ralts shook his large, green head and used Confusion again. "I said, not now!".

Wally grabbed a shoe from his bag and hurled it towards Ralts.

Who teleported out of the way and used Confusion once more. "Stop! That's NOT funny!" Wally yelled, grabbing a random item from his bag and throwing it towards Ralts. The random item was Willy's pokéball.

May was still sitting, her feet paddling in the water and Shine sitting on her lap.

"Who's a good little Aron? You are, aren't you?" She said while hugging him.

Shine: "May, there is someone drowning over there!". "No, it isn't lunchtime yet.".

"Hey! Someone is drowning!". "Yeah, who's a good little…".

"There is someone dying over there!". "Why didn't you just say so?". "Finally!".

"If you gotta go, you gotta go!" she said, lifting Shine and putting him down beside her.

"People are dying over there, woman!" Shine yelled as he ran away.

"Such a fuzz about going to the bathroom…" May said, splashing with her feet.

By now, Brendan had behold the magnificent sight of a Bagon hurling herself off a cliff.

Axl, also seeing this, ran towards her.

"Hey, Bagon! Do I know you? Aren't you…". "Ach, what'd ya know! If it ain't…".

"Aye, it's me! How's it geuing?". "Aye, gree man!". BAM "If tha ain't true luve…"Axl murmured, before fainting.

- at the lake -

After the pokéball was thrown, Willy came out. Luckily, he landed in the water…

"Willy!" Ralts yelled, "Save him!" Ralts said, nudging his head towards the drowning Lightning.

Willy: "Muddy! Can you lend me a hand?".

Muddy, ignoring Willy, said "Yes ladies, and do you know what he then said? Use Mud-Shot!".

All the Goldeen started to laugh. "Yes, I know. Hilarious, isn't it?".

"Muddy! Get over here and help me to get that fool out of the water!".

Some of the Goldeen swam towards Willy… "Why, hello there, ladies…"

"That no-good, testickle-following, hormone oozing, bunch of idiots!" Flame swore.

"Thunder!". "MA'AM!". "Get down here and help me rescue Lightning!".

Thunder hovered lower, and Flame jumped on top of him. "Now, fly towards Lightning!".

"ERROR, ERROR!". "What the f beep do you mean! Get moving! Fly towards Lightning!".

"UNABLE TO EXECUTE ORDER. NOT ABLE TO 'FLY'. CAN ONLY HOVER.".

"Hell, hover towards Lightning! Now!". "EXECUTING ORDER…".

Thunder hovered towards Lightning, who was still drowning (how can drowning take up more then 10 minutes!).

"Grab my wing!" Flame yelled, hanging upside down, feet clinging onto Thunder's left magnet.

The problem was, Lightning didn't have any hands to grab Flame. So, he used the only grabbing-tool he possessed.

He bit Flame.

"Damn! Let go of me, you no-good…". But Lightning did not let go. Even when Flame fried him.

- other side of the lake -

"And then he jumped into the water! Do you remember that, Willy?". "Yes I do! And then, that rope…".

"Muddy?". "Yes, my dear?" Muddy replied, winking at a Goldeen. "The pokémon there seem to have a problem.".

"Umm…ignore them! I don't know them!". "I thought you did!".

Flame: "Muddy! Willy! Get over here immediately!".

"You DO know her! You…you…player!" Goldeen screamed as she attacked Muddy. "Let's Peck him, sisters!".

"Wait… I can explain everything! No, don't! HEEEELP!".

Willy quietly swam away, and stopped right underneath Lightning, who was almost completely toasted by now.

"Lightning, let go! I'm right underneath you!" Willy yelled.

Lightning, being a dog-like pokémon, followed Willy's orders without hesitation.

Willy caught him up, and started to swim towards the shore.

Flame, still clinging onto Thunder with her claws, soon followed. Having landed, Flame continued to fire at lightning.

"How dare bite me! I was trying to save you! I'll…". Lightning gave his legs a jolt, and sped away.

- other side of lake -

Muddy was having similar problems. He was now half surrounded by angry, female Goldeen. His back was pressed against a wall.

"You cheater! Let's Peck him!". "Nooo! Don't! I didn't mean to…I…I'm sorry! I…Help! Anyone, HEEELP!".

"Sisters! One…". "HEEELP!". "…two…". "Have mercy!". "Three!". "Can't somebody help me!".

"Aye, we ken!" a voice, from high up yelled. Something came crashing down, on top of a Goldeen.

Then, another 'something' fell. "Gree man! That went gree!" the first 'something yelled, surfacing.

By now, it was raining 'somethings'. All the 'somethings' were blue and had a rock-hard head.

Another something reached the surface. "So you're Wee Jock's frend?".

"Who's Wee Jock?" Muddy asked. "I'm Wee Jock!" Axl said, swimming next to Muddy.

"Riiight… Well, thanks for saving my skin! I didn't know Bagon could swim…".

"As a mat'r o' fact, we can't." Axl said, sinking. "Oh my Suicune! They're drowning!" Muddy yelled while diving.

But when he reached the bottom of the lake, Axl was gone. When Muddy surfaced again, he saw Axl climb up the shore, together with the other Bagon who participated in the Goldeen-bombing.

Muddy: "How did you…". "Ach, we just keep on walkin' underwater 'till we reach the shore! Ain't that right?".

"That's right, Wee Jock!" some Bagon roared.

- somewhere else -

By now, Wally had given up searching for his camera.

Brendan was walking around a bit, and May had stopped paddling.

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash. The walls shook, and some rocks fell down from the ceiling.

"What the…" Brendan said, trying to maintain his balance. "It's coming from over there!" May yelled, pointing her finger at the other side of the lake.

So, like any stupid hero in any stupid story, they ran towards the source of the problem, to find out what was happening.

Rounding the corner, they found out that a battle was taking place.

A Double Battle, between two Team Aqua members and two Team Magma members. The Magmas were using a Magcargo and a Camerupt. They were facing a Sealo and a Gyarados. You can guess who were winning.

Flame and the other pokémon (except Muddy, Axl and Lightning) had also heard the crash (which came from Camerupt's Overheat). They arrived shortly after their Trainers.

The Magmas had just received a finishing blow. Both Sealo and Gyarados used Surf.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" May yelled "This cave will collaps for sure if you continue!".

"Mind your own business!" a Aqua yelled back, lifting up an odd coloured rock.

"We've got what we came for! Now let's move!". "You're not going anywhere!" Brendan said.

"I… oh sh beep , I haven't got any pokémon with me…". "No worries!" Wally said, "May and I challenge you to a Double Battle! Go, Thunder!". "I choose you, Zeal!". Thunder and Zeal faced the two Water-types.

"Thunder, use Thunderbolt!". "Gyarados, Bite that Silcoon!". "Sealo, Ice Beam on Magnemite!". "Zeal, Harden!".

Zeal Hardened, causing Gyarados to break his teeth on him. Thunder and Sealo got hit on the same time.

Sealo fainted. "Gyarados, Flamethrower on Magnemite!" Thunder got toasted, and fainted.

"Now, Hyper Beam on Silcoon!". "Harden, again!".

Gyarados fired a searing yellow beam at Zeal. The force of impact flung him across the cave, but he didn't faint.

"Now, Gyarados, Flamethrower!". "No, Zeal!". Zeal fainted.

"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam at those kids!". Gyarados again unleashed a huge yellow coloured beam.

May and Wally threw themselves against the ground, barely evading the attack.

"Again, Gyarados!". Brendan grabbed May's arm and pulled her aside. Wally rolled out of the way.

They took cover behind some boulders. "Fire at will, Gyarados!".

The boulders got hit by one blast after another. Rocks began to fall down from the ceiling.

"We've got to get away, and fast!" May yelled above all the crashing and collapsing. "Yeah, but how?" Brendan sneered.

"Bagon!". "Wha?". (translated:) "Attack!". "Aye, Sir!". "Chaaarge!". "For Freedom!". "For Scotland!". "For meat pies and haggis!". "Aye!".

Suddenly, the Gyarados was covered with Bagon, all Biting and Headbutting.

Axl jumped and landed on top of Gyarados's head. He grabbed a whisker in each arm, and yelled:

"HOW'S IT GEUING, MAN? GREE!".

Then, he rammed his head against Gyarados's. Gyarados began to sway.

"ANOTHER TIME! AN THIS TIME, WITH _FEELIN'_!".

Axl again bashed his head against Gyarados's. Everyone heard a loud 'crack'. Gyarados fell down.

"Gyarados, return!". Gyarados flashed red, and then disappeared. Now, all the Bagon were hanging in thin air.

And a second later, they were lying on the ground. Another second later, they were all on their feet again, glaring angrily at the Aquas.

"Bagon! Attack!".

Now, more then thirty angry Bagon were charging towards the Aquas. Who, in their turn, began to run.

After a few minutes, including Headbutting, swearing and a lot of biting, the Aquas were gone.

(they had fled, and not been eaten)

"Yah, man! Tha' wen' gree!" Axl yelled, giving a fellow Bagon a 'Glaswegian Kiss'.

"Well, I didn't expect this…" Brendan murmured. "Nor did I…" Wally said, using a revive on Thunder.

"Are you guys gonna keep standing here forever?" May commented, holding a conciousness-regained Zeal tight.

"Axl?". "Yeah, Muddy?". "Why do all these Bagon call you Wee Jock?".

"I'll explain tha' later. Right now, I've got to say bye-bye to me fam'ly.".

Wally: "I wonder why they were fightning…". Brendan: "Beats me…". May: "I think their target was that rock over th…hey!". Brendan: "Hm?". "It's gone!". "Uh…". "The weird rock thingy!". "So?". "Someone must've taken it!".

Wally: "Guys…". May: "What?". "Do you see those two Magmas over there?". "Where?".

Wally pointed his finger. "Those two! Who're running away with the rock-thingy!".

Brendan: "Oh, you mean those two…hell, wait! Lightning, Quick Attack!".

Lightning sped forward towards the Magmas, who escaped out of the cave through another exit.

Brendan closely followed. "Now, Spark!".

Lightning barked, and then charged, body filled with electricity, into one of the Magmas. Who fell down.

The other Magma kicked at Lightning, and then dragged his comrade with him.

"You're not escaping!" Brendan yelled, running towards the Magmas.

"You think so?" the Magma sneered, raising an arm. "Yeah! Lightning, Bite!".

Lightning jumped, and bit the Magma in his arm. The Magma, in his turn, grabbed Lightning and threw him away. Brendan dived, and caught Lightning up in mid-air.

The Magma helped his comrade back on his feet, and ran away. Towards a cliff.

Brendan let Lightning go, and chased after them.

Nearing the cliff, the Magmas turned around. Brendan lunged. The Magmas jumped off the cliff.

Brendan, who didn't expect this, lost his balance and fell.

He managed to grab the ledge. When he looked down, he saw the first Magma throw a pokéball.

Then, they both got caught up by the just appeared Swellow. The Swellow flew upwards and into the blue sky.

"Brendan? Where are you?" May yelled. "I'm down here!" Brendan replied.

Soon, May and Wally found him and lifted him up.

"Did you get them?" Wally asked. "Nope. They escaped riding on top of a Swellow.".

"Bummer…" Wally commented, shaking his head.

After Axl had said goodbye to his 'fam'ly', they left Meteor Falls.

"Hey," May said, "Haven't we been here before? Isn't this Route 115?". "It is!" Wally replied. "Look!".

He pointed his finger down a cliff. "Last time, we walked over there!"

Brendan: "Yeah, and last time we couldn't get up! How are we supposed to get down?".

"Well…" May said, "We could slide down over there…".

She pointed her finger at a rather muddy track, which once could've been a path down.

"Oh no…".

- - - - -

That's another chapter finished!

I'll try to update soon!

And before I forget…

REVIEW!


	22. Verdanturf Dilemma

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Final Fantasy, Gundam Wing or anything related to Terry Pratchett. If I did, I'd be rich by now!

CHAPTER 22: VERDANTURF DILEMMA

That evening, they arrived in Rustboro (again). In the Pokémon Centre, our three trainers where the hell they'd go to now.

Wally kept saying that they'd better go to Rusturf Tunnel again, and from there to Verdanturf.

Brendan was giving arguments why the Rusturf Tunnel was a no-go, and May was trying to get everyone to STFU an listen to her. She wanted to do some shopping. The conversation was not going well.

"Wee Jock?". "Aye!". "No, don't Headbutt me! It's me, Muddy. I just wanted to ask, why did all the Bagon from the last chapter call you Wee Jock?".

"Ach, ye know, we ain't got as many names as humans have. Most of us Bagon is called Jock, Rob or Al. An since we is with more th'n three, we call some people Wee Jock, an' some people Big Jock. Course we have a little bit 'o problem now… my little brother is called Not As Big As Big Jock But Bigger As Wee Jock Jock.".

"Riiight…but how do they decide who is big Jock and who is Little, er Wee Jock?". "Er-hem, we measure the size of their…".

By now, the discussion had ended. May had won, due to a large mallet she pulled out of her bag, and the rest of the evening they would go downtown.

The following morning they'd try to get through Rusturf Tunnel.

It took an hour to find some nice, purple-black sneakers for May. After that, she began to search for a new bag (which she didn't find).

Brendan and Wally escaped by entering a games-store. They found some collectors-items there…something that ends with –undam…

It took the rest of the evening to descide if a T-shirt with the Gundam Wing Logo on the Back was better then one with the logo on the front.

The next morning, they began to walk towards Rusturf Tunnel. It was easy to get there, since all the trainers on the way had already been defeated by them once before.

Brendan was proudly wearing a black T-shirt with 'Gundam W' on the front, and Deathscythe Hell Custom on the back.

Wally wore something similar, except his T-shirt was white and featured Wing Zero Custom on the back.

May had to endure Brendan and Wally's humming until they reached the Tunnel.

Upon entering, the first thing they noticed was that lamps had been added. Also, signs with big arrows and the Devon Logo were hanging everywhere.

"Much better…" Brendan said, following the signs. "Last time we walked here this place was filled with Magmas…" May commented.

Wally didn't say anything, he simply kept stroking Alt, who was sitting on his shoulder and singing 'So long and Good Bye'. Wally asked him to shut up.

After following the signs, they found another exit. They went out, and looked around. They were standing in a field full of tall grass and beautiful flowers

"Where are we?" May asked, clasping her hands together. "This place is beautiful!". "Um… this is Verdanturf…" Wally said.

Walking through the field towards some buildings, Brendan said "Verdanturf… I've heard that name before…". May: "Of course you heard it before! Yesterday we were talking about it!". "I've heard it before that…" Brendan replied, watching some pokémon playing tag.

"Um…" Wally said, "Verdanturf is known for it's clear air and healthy environment…maybe you've seen something about it in a book?".

"Nah, something was talking about it or something…".

Wally was now ferociously patting Alt's head, who was still singing the same, sad song. When they reached the village, Brendan remembered.

"I know! You said it, Wally!". "What do you mean?". "Well, I recon that when May and I were leaving Petalburg, you came running towards us, asking if you could travel with us to Verdanturf!". "Um…well, yeah, um…". "Brendan's right! So… why did you want to go to Verdanturf?".

"Well, my uncle and aunt live here…". "Really? Well then, let's go see your uncle and aunt!". "Um…ok…".

The doorbell rang. Wally's uncle (what's his name?) opened the door. He immediately got pushed aside by Wally's aunt, a jolly old woman with an apron.

"Wally!" she said, hugging Wally to death. "You're here, finally! And who are these two?" she asked while looking at Brendan and May.

If first impressions meant everything, then Brendan would have a serious problem.

He was holding a sleeping and drooling Muddy in one arm, Axl, singing a Scottish song about 'bonny prince charlie' in his other arm, and an hyperactive Lightning was running around his legs, trying to outrun his own tail.

May, on the other hand, looked a lot better, holding Zeal in both arms, Flame balancing on her shoulder and Shine sitting by her feet, looking up with big blue eyes.

Fortunately for Brendan, first impressions don't mean everything.

"Aunt, meet Brendan and May. Brendan, May, meet my aunt…". "Hi!" Wally's Aunt said, giving Brendan an odd look. "Come on in!".

- inside -

They got introduced to Wally's uncle, niece Wanda, nephew-in-law-to-be, Wanda's fiancé.

After having lunched, ("Wally, you really should eat more! Did you notice how thin you are? Now, come on, eat up, don't say you're full just yet…") May and Brendan got shown around Verdanturf.

They saw a lot of similar houses, a Pokémon Centre ("Do you know what this is? A Pokémon Centre!". "Aunt… we know…"), a Pokémon Mart and the Contest Hall.

Inside the Contest Hall, Brendan had a hard time controlling Lightning, who had noticed that a Beauty Contest was going on. When he saw a female Manetric…

That evening, they were having dinner in the back garden. Most of the pokémon were playing hide and seek, except for Shine and Thunder.

Shine had climbed into a tree, but could not get down. Thunder was calculating the odds of Shine's survival, should he jump down.

Zeal had found the perfect hiding place, inside a basket of buns on the table.

May: "So…why did you go to Verdanturf, Wally?". "Well, um…my parents thought that it'd be nice for me to stay here for a few months…".

"And…are you gonna stay here?". "Guess so…". Aunt: "Wally! You haven't eaten enough! If…".

Wally grabbed a bun. He noticed that it was a bit hard…he couldn't even bite through…

"SILCOOOOOOOON!". "Wha…". (translated:) "You stupid, idiotic, green haired freak! You're eating me!".

By now, Shine had found the courage to jump down. Thunder's calculations failed, since he didn't take into account that Shine could land on something soft, blue with cotton-like wings.

Alt: "Get off me!"

- later that evening -

May couldn't sleep (again…).

She slid out of her sleeping bag, opened the door (she slept in the guest room), walked down the hall and pushed open the door leading to the back yard.

Looking around, she saw that the garden was deserted. Walking forward, she watched the flowers, in the meadow across the garden, move in the wind.

She yawned, and leaned against the big fig tree in the middle of the garden. It seemed to be very quiet…

But it wasn't the silence of nobody making any noise, it was the silence of _somebody_ making no noise…

May looked left, and then right. Nobody. Then, she grabbed a low branch of the fig tree, and pulled herself up.

Having covered a few vertical metres while climbing up, she sat down on a branch and leaned against the tree trunk.

Without looking around, she said "Hi Wally.". "Um…hi." Wally said, also sitting on a branch, a bit higher then May.

For a moment, only the distant sound of crickets could be heard. "Um, nice weather, isn't it?".

- down below, in the bushes -

"And? And?". "They're talking about… the weather!".

Flame and Ralts were hiding in some bushes near the tree. Each of them was wearing a military helmet. Flame was using binoculars to spy upon May and Wally.

"Two Magnets on a Stick, do you copy? Kggg…". "Loud and clear, Green-Head, over. Kggg…". "What's the condition of Dandruff-Boy? Kggg…". "He's still asleep, Ralts. Kggg…".

"Thunder, you have to call me Green-Head! It's a codename! Kggg…". "Um, wrong number, you're talking to Alt. Kggg…". "Soldier, get me Thunder on the line immediately! Kggg…".

"What line? I'm talking to an empty can of peas! Kggg…". "That's technology! We are communication through two empty cans and a piece of string! Kggg…".

"Okay, I get it now. Well then… ta-ta-tatata, tata-ta-taa, ta-ta-tatataa, tata-ta-taa…Kggg…". "What are you doing! Kggg…". "Singing the theme from Final Fantasy 6, Sir! Kggg…". "Final Fantasy! This is a pokémon fanfic! Kggg…".

"THUNDER REPORTING, SIR…Kggg…". "Our codenames… ah, forget it. Is Brendan still asleep? Kggg…". "SLEEPING LIKE A…LIKE A…DICTIONARY…SEARCHING…SLEEPING LIKE A LOG, SIR. Kggg…".

"Okay, this was Ralts! Back to the studio! Kggg…". Alt: "What studio? Kggg…". "Shut up…Kggggggggggg.". Ralts threw the can away.

"And?" Flame demanded. "Still asleep…" Ralts replied, grabbing Flame's binoculars.

- up in the tree -

"Tomorrow, Brendan and I are gonna walk over towards Mauville…Seems like we won't be seeing you soon again, right..?". "I think so…" Wally sighed. Then, he started to climb down.

"Where are you going?". "It's getting late. I'm gonna get myself some sleep…".

On his way down, Wally accidentally touched May's hand. He turned away his face, which was now as red as a beet. "Um…good night…".

- beneath the tree -

"Ho-oh dammit! Come on! Do something!". "Keep it down, Flame! Or else they'll hear us!".

- up in the… ah, f beep it! -

May turned her head. "Did you hear some-". She stopped. Her face was within inches of Wally's, who was hanging with both arms onto a branch next to her.

- "Thank Entei! Now it's gonna happen!". "Flame, what do you mean?". -

"-thing?" May finished her sentence, turning red. "Um… I…" Wally murmured, paralysed…

- "Hurry up! Get it over with!". "Flame, I think something is moving in that bush over there…". -

"I…I…". Wally swallowed. "I…ow!". Something small and hard hit his right hand. He let go, and was now hanging onto the branch with just one hand. Another rock reached his target.

- "What's happening over there! Mayday, mayday!". "Over there!". -

"Ow! Ah, ah, aaaaaahhhhhhh!". Wally fell down backwards (not towards May). BAM. "Wally? Are you all right down there?".

- "Thunder! Do you copy! Red alert, red alert! Kggg…". -

May started to climb down. "Wally?".

- "Flame, over there, behind that bush!". "I'm on it!". -

"Ow, my head…". "Wally! Are you all right?".

- "I'm one crazy chicken, and I'm not afraid to prove it! Come out with your hands up!". -

"Yeah, I'm still in one piece, I think…". "Thank Latias…".

- "I said, come out with your hands up!". -

"Why did you fall?". "Something hit me on my hand…".

- "On the count of three, I'll open fire! One…". -

"Something hit you on your hand?". "Yeah, you can see the bruises here…".

- "…TWO…". -

"That doesn't look too bad…".

- "…THREE (inhales)…". -

"Who'd want to make you fall down?".

- "Fire!". Flame launched a fireball towards the bush. A tiny, blue something ran away. Flame was pretty sure that the 'something' had yelled "Ach, cravens!". -

May sat down next to Wally. You're not injured?". "Nah, 'course not.".

- "Sergeant, we're retreating!". "Why?". "I'll explain later! Hurry!". -

"Latias, you scared me…". "I scared myself, too…". May leaned back, and then layed down on the grass, looking at the stars.

"Too bad you won't be travelling with us anymore… It seemed so nice, the three of us, going to places…meeting people, catching pokémon…". "Yeah…too bad…".

May yawned. "Well, I guess I'd better go to bed, too…". She stood up. Wally did so as well.

"See you tomorrow, Wally…" she said, walking away towards the door.

Wally shook his head. "Should I do it, or not…".

The next morning, Brendan and May were leaving.

Aunt: "Where has Wally gone to? He should be here to say goodbye!". Uncle: "I think he's feeding his pokémon… he should arrive in a moment…".

"Knowing him, he might just not arrive at all…" May whispered. "What's that supposed to mean?" Brendan asked.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We'd better be going, eh?" Brendan said, lifting Muddy and putting him on top of his head.

"Well, goodbye, then. Thank you for our stay, and please tell Wally we said hi!". Having said this, Brendan turned around and began to walk. "Bye!" May said, running after him.

"Did you really have to do that?" May whispered, walking next to Brendan. "Do what?". "I mean, you just walked away! Couldn't you wait for Wally?". "It's already ten 'o clock!".

"So? We've travelled with Wally for a long time! I can't believe you're so…so…".

- back in Wanda's house -

Aunt: "Well, it was nice meeting them.". Uncle: "It was. Wally seems to find the right friends.". "What's this? A letter?". "For my Uncle and Aunt, from Wally…".

- on the outskirts of Verdanturf -

"Well, it seems we're heading for Mauville again…" May said, examinating a signpost. "Jup." Brendan commented. "Well, let's go!".

"Hey guys! Wait up!" someone yelled.

The someone had green hair.

Wally came running towards them.

Breathing heavily, he stopped right in front of them.

"I…wanted…to…say…good…b-". He breathed deep. "Ah, forget it." He said, as he pulled a backpack from behind his back.

"I'm coming with you guys!" he said, grinning.

- - - - -

Well, was this a feel-good story, or was it a piece of sh beep ?

Whatever you thought, say it in a review.


	23. Mt Chimney Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

I divided the upcoming chapter in three chapters, since it was waaaaaait to large to post all at once. Enjoy!

And Black Murderer, you still have that gun pointed at your head? Make my day.

CHAPTER 23: MT. CHIMNEY PART 1

Brendan, May and Wally had lunch in a café in Mauville. Afterwards, They visited the Pokémart. Where they met a certain somebody.

"ATTENTION! Soldier Brendan, bring report! What are you looking at, soldier Wally? Give me twenty! Aaand one! Aaand two!".

- later -

"Thirty-five! Thirty-six!".

After that, they once again travelled up Route 111. Hoping that this time, the cablecart would be available.

Well, they didn't have much luck this time.

When they reached the Jagged Pass, and next to it the cablecart, it seemed deserted.

"Hello?" Wally yelled. "Ssst!" Brendan whispered, trying to open the door. "Last time, this place was filled with Magmas…".

"Ah, it's locked…" Wally said, trying the doorknob.

May, who was getting tired of all of this, didn't approve with the boy's approach. "Just kick in the door! This place is off limits, anyway.".

"Axl?". "Aye, Flame?". "Did you know that that building is filled with beautiful female Bagon? If I were you, I'd charge and break down that door!".

"Eh! I've already got me a bonny lass back at Meteor Falls! You think I'm not faithful to me girlfriend! Coz I telk sco'ish?".

"Oh, sorry. Did I say beautiful female Bagon?".

"Yes you did.".

"Um, I meant haggis, of course! Heaps of haggis!".

"Aye! Tha's gree, man!" Axl yelled, as he rammed through the door.

Once they were inside, and found out that the place was indeed deserted, they discussed their options.

Brendan: "I'd say that we try to get the cablecart working, and go up Mt. Chimney. From there, we can go to Lavaridge…". "I agree.". "Me too". So far their discussion…

"Hey Thunder?". "YES?". "It's me, Alt. I wonder, could you get this thing working?". "POSITIVE, OPERATING IT IS AN OPTION.".

"Weeel, could you please operate it? So Wally 'n the others could go up?". "ORDERS RECEIVED. EXECUTING ORDER…".

Thunder began to give the cablecart-machine electric jolts. After a few flashes and a sharp metallic sound that scared the hell out of Shine, the cablecart began to move.

"Hurry up!" Wally yelled, already inside the moving cablecart. He helped May get in. Then, he lifted Ralts into the cart. Brendan jumped inside from a window, just before the cart left the building.

"Everybody here?" May asked, looking around. After counting, Brendan reported that everybody was present.

"All right, then… let's enjoy our trip…" May said, sitting down with her hands foiled behind her head.

Wally yawned, and then laid down on the couch. He closed his eyes. Muddy followed his example. Brendan sat down in the back of the cart, enjoying the view.

Shine: "Celebi… I'm getting seasick…". Axl: "We Bagon got a remedy for tha'!". "Does it involve banging heads together?". "Course no…wait…look, you have two Bagon, and they…".

"Bang their heads together?". "Aye! A good ol' Glaswegian Kiss!". "Just leave me alone…".

This continued for some time. Wally murmured something about sheep in his sleep (he _was_ asleep, and murmured something_ about_ sheep. He didn't murmur something about sheep _in_ his sleep).

Muddy yawned, stretching himself out, and laid down flat on his back, drooling and paws up in the air.

May enjoyed the gentle rocking of the cart while watching a Taillow pass by. Brendan kept staring at the cablecart house, which was now barely visible.

Flame hopped onto the rail, and looked around. "Look! A cablecart is coming down!". Another cablecart was indeed coming down in their direction.

"I wonder what's in that thing…" May said, also having noticed the cart. Which passed by.

Suddenly, the cablecart shook violently. "Hey! Why did we stop?" Wally asked, waking up with a start and finding out that the cart had stopped going up.

"Ah, sh beep !" Brendan said. "Yeah, stupid old thing…" Wally said, kicking a chair.

"No, I meant 'ah, sh beep ' like, 'ah, sh beep ! There are Magmas in the other cablecart!'.". "Cr beep !".

The two cablecarts were now hanging next to each other, with barely a metre of open space between them.

Through the glass, it was clearly visible that the other cart was filled with Magmas. One of them opened the door. "Go, Houndour!" the Magma yelled.

May, Wally and Brendan jumped away from the door. "Flamethrower at the door!" the Magma ordered.

A burst of flames knocked the door out of his hangings.

"Muddy!" Brendan ordered, "Run to the door and Water Gun that Houndour!".

Muddy leaped, and fired an aerial Water Gun at full power, knocking the Houndour across the other cablecart and making him faint.

"Go, Golbat/Weezing/Seviper!" three Magams yelled. "Flame!", "Get 'em, Alt!" May and Wally yelled.

Alt flew out of the car, and pecked Weezing.

"Flame, let that Golbat burn!". Flame continually fired Flamethrowers in Golbat's direction.

"Seviper, jump and use Iron Tail!". Seviper leaped onto the other cart, and tried to hit Muddy with it's pointed tail.

"Muddy, jump!". Muddy evaded the attack, which had created a hole in the cart's floor.

"Again Iron Tail!". Again, Seviper tried to stab Muddy. "Evade!". Muddy rolled aside.

"Another time!". "Muddy, jump towards Seviper's head!". Seviper lunged, and hit his own head. He then fell backwards, out of the cart, and got returned by it's trainer.

By now, Golbat was toasted. Weezing tried Explosion, but got hit between the eyes by a sharp beak, knocking him out.

Now, all the Magmas began to throw pokéballs.

"Go, Zubat/Golbat/Numel/Muk/Seviper/Cacturne/Koffing/Slugma/Magcargo/Zangoose! ATTACK!".

All the pokémon fired a beam/ray/blast of some kind. The cablecart containing our main characters got knocked off his cable, and began to fall down.

"Damn!" Brendan yelled, grabbing a rail. "Ralts!" Wally yelled, now somewhere against the ceiling, "Teleport us!".

"Ral! (translation:) Where to?". "I don't give a f beep ! Just Teleport!". "But…". "Crivens! If ye don't tel'port us away immediately, I'll give ye a headbutt!". "Um…".

"DO SOMETHING!" everyone yelled.

Ralts focused. Just before they'd hit the ground, everything went white.

Ralts opened his eyes.

GOOD MORNING.

"Ah, come on…".

- - - - -

I love cliff-hangers!

Give me a review, and I'll update!


	24. Mt Chimney Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Gundam, Austin Powers or Dr. Evil.

I also don't own any cats…yet. But my aunt does. So, maybe…

Dark Murderer, you've just made my day. Don't worry. I don't like rivalshipping that much, either. Funny you start talking about evolving… I've already planned everything!

CHAPTER 24: MT. CHIMNEY PART 2

"Lemme guess…You're Death and this is a dream.". YOU'RE QUICK-WITTED. "Hurry up and let me wake up! I've got a feeling that I have to wake up soon!". EH…"Shut up! I'm off!".

Ralts disappeared. HOW RUDE…

Ralts really opened his eyes.

Wally: "Ralts! You have to use Teleport again!". "Ral…". Axl: "Aye! Tel'port again or else…". "Ow, my head…"."I've warned ya! Gree!". BAM.

"Axl! What did you do that for!" Brendan yelled, hanging onto the rail.

The cablecart had indeed Teleported, but not into safety. They were now balancing on a cliff. When Brendan looked down, he could barely see the ground…

The cablecart shook. "We're slipping!" May yelled, clinging onto a chair. "As if I didn't already notice!" Brendan yelled. "I should've stayed in Verdanturf!" Wally said.

The cablecart shook once more.

"Well, it was nice meeting you guys!" May yelled, noticing that the cablecart was beginning to slide down.

Brendan: "Yeah, it was great travelling with you!".

Muddy: "We're not gonna view flashbacks, are we?".

Zeal: "Just shut up!".

Wally: "Too bad it ends here! I've always wanted to say… aaah!".

The cablecart began to slide. It's speed was increasing. Then, the cablecart fell off the edge.

They fell a few metres, and then hit a rock. The cart made a sickening 180 degrees spin, and slammed into another rock. Now, the cart was turning.

It landed on his side, and slid down at 120 miles per hour. After a few seconds, they got bashed against yet another rock. The cart began to spin uncontrollably, while flying through the air.

Now, it landed upside-down, at a speed of _more_ then 120 miles per hour. They crashed into a tree, making a glass window break.

This triggered a lot of swearing. Rolling, the cablecart continued his way down, taking some trees with him. Although the speed was still increasing, Brendan noticed that the bumping gradually lessened. Hitting another rock, the cablecart got send flying.

It landed on top of another rock. Brendan lost consciousness. The world went black.

- - - - -

And this is how their lives ended. They all died in this unfortunate accident. Wait… sorry, wrong chapter!

- - - - -

"B-boy! Are you still alive?" Brendan heard someone say. Something was nudging his shoulder. He felt a hand against his cheek. "Come on, wake up!". Brendan moved a bit.

"Ah, damn! We've got blood coming through here!". Someone grabbed his left arm. Brendan felt a searing pain spread from his left arm.

" beep !" he yelled, as he sat up straight. "Ah, you're awake. How're you feeling?".

Brendan looked around. He was lying on the heavily beaten up couch in the cablecart. It seemed that they were in… "Where the hell are we?" he asked.

Wally, sitting next to him, examinating a map, said "Seems like we've fallen to the desert north of Mauville. You know, we've seen it before on our way to the Jagged Pass.".

Brendan looked through a window. Outside, a sandstorm was raging. Through some broken windows sand was coming in.

"Ah, my head…" Brendan said, rubbing the back of his head. "Brendan, try not to move. I'm bandaging your arm…" May said, sitting on the other side of him.

"Ah, that hurts! What are you doing!". "Disinfecting the wound…just keep your arm still…".

Wally: "Don't worry, Brendan. She bandaged my leg, too. And it's still working." He said, rubbing his left knee.

May was now rolling up Brendan's T-shirt sleeve. "Hold this bandage, will ya? Now, this may hurt a little…" she said, spraying something on a nasty cut on Brendan's arm.

"Aaaaaargh! A _little_!". "Keep it down. Now hand me the bandage. Thanks…there, that should do it.".

"At least your Gundam shirt is still in one piece!" Wally said, grinning. "Very funny…" Brendan said, watching May bandage his arm.

After finishing the bandage, she stood up. "Let's find a way to get out of this mess." She said, looking around. She walked through the hole where the door should've been, and stepped outside.

In a few minutes, she returned. "It's a no-go…" she proclaimed, while shaking sand off her hair. "Wally, did you find out which way we should go?".

"Nah, I can't even see the sun through this storm, so locating ourselves is impossible…". Brendan: "Why don't we just go back the same way we came here?".

May: "Did you look outside and notice that we're inside a canyon? We can't even climb up! Not to speak about walking up Mt. Chimney…".

"Nor will we get out of this place by sitting here!".

Wally: "Calm down, you two! I've sent out Alt to check the sun's position…".

Five minutes later: "Finally! Welcome back Alt! Now tell me, what was…". "Swab! Swablu!". "Aha. And… what does that mean?". "Swablu!". "Ah, cr beep !".

Alt raised one cotton-like wing. "One word?". Two wings up. "Two parts… first part?".

Alt began to imitate a cat. "Puss? Cat?". Alt shook his head, and opened his beak.

May: "He means 'Miauw'!". Alt jumped up and down. "Second part…sounds like…".

Alt raised his little finger (don't ask) and held it next to his beak. He laughed.

"Happy?". Alt shook his head. "Laugh?". Alt looked angry…

Brendan: "Dr. Evil! He laughs like that!. "Swab!". "So… the word is Miauevil?".

Alt laughed again, and made the '' sign with his wings. "Evil? Bad? Enemy? Villain?". "Swab!". "Miauvillain?".

May: "No, he means Mauville!". Alt jumped up and down, and then pointed his wing in a specific direction.

Wally: "So… Mauville is in that direction?". "Swablu!". "Okay, let's go." Wally said, lifting Alt.

- later -

The pokémon had been returned to their pokéballs. Handkerchiefs had been used to cover their mouth and nose.

They were walking in a straight course towards…well, they didn't exactly know where they were going, but they did know they were walking straight towards it.

After walking through the raging and tearing sandstorm for more then two hours, something happened.

"Wait! My leg is stuck!" May said, pulling at her leg with both arms. Her lower leg had sunk into the sand, and only her knee was still visible.

"What the…" Brendan said, grabbing May's arm and pulling. Wally grabbed her other arm. Now, the sand had reached May's middle.

"It's working, we're pulling you up!" Brendan said, feeling that he pulled her arm up.

"No you're not! You're sinking, too!". "What the f… Damn!" Wally said, struggling to break free. "This stuff, it's quicksand, right?" May asked. The sand had now reached her shoulders.

"It is." Brendan said. "The more you move, the faster you sink!". May: "Does that matter? We're sinking, even if we don't move… Hm? Something's pulling at my leg! Aaa-".

Suddenly, May got pulled down. "May!" Wally yelled, just before he got pulled down, too.

"May? Wally? Anyone!" Brendan yelled. The sand had now reached his neck… The sandstorm was hitting him in the face…

Something clamped his leg! A quick jerk, and then Brendan got pulled down.

May and Wally had both fallen into an underground cave. It was pitch-black in there. Wally was coughing and trying to get the sand out of his throat.

May had already thrown Flame's pokéball (hitting Wally in the face with it) and ordered her to use Ember.

The ceiling moved, and then Brendan fell down.

"What happened?" he asked. "Seems like we got pulled down by these Trapinch…" May replied. "Trapinch?".

Brendan looked around. Some odd, orange pokémon with huge jaws were looking at them as if they were thinking 'should we beat it or eat it?'.". Brendan stepped back.

"I don't like the looks on their faces…" he said. The closest Trapinch snarled. "Eh…".

May walked forward, and lifted the Trapinch. "Aww…look how cute she is! Koochiecoo!".

Trapinch was confused. She didn't know if she should be Biting the human or permit her to pat her on the head. Which _did_ feel kind of nice…

"I know! I'll catch you!". Now, Trapinch came into action. She struggled to break free from the hug, and then tried to Bite May.

"Bad Trapinch! Bad!" May yelled, letting Trapinch go. "Go, Shine! Take Down!".

As soon as the Steel-type materialized, charged at Trapinch and delivered a full-body tackle. "Now, Mud-Shot!".

The force of impact hurled Trapinch against a wall.

May threw a pokéball, and caught Trapinch.

"Hmm…a name…umm…what about…nah…ah, that's it! Petria!" May declared.

The other Trapinch, having seen that their leader had been defeated, quietly left and began to discuss (correction: fight over) who should be the next leader.

May turned around. "Let's go find a way out of this place!".

After walking through the cave (or tunnel?) for about half an hour, they came across strange inscriptions in the cave's wall.

It took another ten minutes to confirm that these inscriptions were totally senseless.

They consisted of randomly placed dots, and drawings with very bad perspective.

The drawings featured three human-like pokémon, one made of rock, one made of ice, and one made of steel.

"Oh, please…" Wally said, rolling his eyes.

- another half hour later -

They reached something that could be called a exit. Located in the ceiling. Unfortunately, the exit was blocked by boulders. Only two tiny rays of light came through.

"Now what?" Brendan asked, rubbing his injured left arm. "We can't just move these boulders…". "Well, we can try." May said, using a revive on her Trapinch (Petria).

She then ordered her to move the boulders. Petria opened her jaws, grabbed a boulder, and bit. Crushing the boulder.

This got repeated four more times, until Petria yelled "I've broken a tooth!". She then reluctantly continued to break boulders.

It took two more teeth to make an appropriate exit.

First, Wally climbed up. "What do you see?" May yelled. "Seems like we're on the outskirts of the desert! I can see Route 111!" Wally yelled down.

"Okay, I'm coming up next!". May returned Flame and Petria, and then began to climb up. Wally grabbed her hand, and pulled her up.

"And what about me?" Brendan yelled. "I can barely climb with this arm!". "May, do you have a rope or something?".

Half a minute later, Brendan was getting pulled up by a rope tied around his middle.

"Keep it steady…" Alt said, pretending to be giving instructions. "Now straight up!".

Wally and May ignored him, and simply pulled. This caused Brendan's head to get smacked against one rock after another.

After pulling Brendan up, they started to walk towards Route 111. Having got there, they once again travelled up the Route, and arrived at the cablecart house, filled with Magmas.

It was already getting dark.

"Did you see that?" May whispered. "See what?" Wally asked. They were hiding behind some bushes.

"Those two Magmas over there! We saw those two before, at Meteor Falls!". "And?". "I just wanna know what they're up to, so… what's that!".

Something large and yellow came flying towards the cablecart house. It was flying at a staggering speed.

When it came closer, it didn't slow down. Instead, it flapped it's wings and broke through the sound barrier with a loud bang.

It flew over the cablecart house, and clearly flew towards Mt. Chimney.

"Now I'm even more curious!" May said.

"Keep it down…anyway, we can't even get to the cablecart, not to speak of going up Mt. Chimney…".Brendan whispered.

"Hey, where is Wally?". "I'm over here! Hurry, I've found our ticket for the cablecart!".

"Huh?". "Just follow me!".

Wally's brilliant plan consisted of waiting until a cablecart got down, and then hiding inside the baggage racks above the cablecart's seats.

The first part of the plan, waiting until a cablecart got down, got completed within a few minutes.

When the newly arrived Magmas aborted the cablecart, May, Brendan and Wally quietly entered the cablecart.

They quickly climbed up into the baggage racks, and remained still in there.

After a few more minutes, some Magmas entered the cablecart. Then, the cablecart began to move up.

Looking down, May could just see the sun set through a window. She suppressed a yawn.

It wouldn't hurt anybody if she just closed her eyes for a moment…

…just a moment…

- - - - -

And, is this a cliff-hanger or what?

For the people who know me: The next chapter contains a really, really, REALLY big cliché.

Review to find out what happens next!


	25. Mt Chimney Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own the A-Team. Or Gundam Seed Destiny.

Dark Murderer, you're amusing me. You really should stop eating that much sugar.

My vacation is almost over, so I might not be able to update for a while.

CHAPTER 25: MT. CHIMNEY PART 3

Brendan was listening. Listening to the Magmas who were talking about some machine.

He was currently lying on his head in a luggage rack, hiding. He had pins and needles in his legs.

The bandage around his left arm was almost completely torn apart. Blood was coming through. He bit on his lip.

It couldn't take much longer before they reached Mt. Chimney…

The cablecart shook, and stopped. The Magmas opened the door, and left the cart.

Wally was the first one to move. He got up, and lowered his head, gazing upside-down into the cart.

"This place is deserted. Let's go!".

Wally jumped down. Brendan quickly followed. Only May didn't move.

"May?" Brendan asked. "Great, she's asleep! May, WAKE UP!". Wally: "Ssst! Shut up!".

Brendan grabbed May's shoulders and shook her up. "Come on…wake up…and fast, coz w may get caught…WAKE UP!".

Footsteps could be heard. "Someone's coming this way! Hide under the couch!".

Wally and Brendan both threw themselves against the ground, and rolled underneath a couch. They could see feet walking into the cablecart.

"Nobody's here…" a cold, hard voice said. The feet walked away, out of the cablecart.

Brendan and Wally heard some buttons being pushed, and then a heavy switch got moved.

A shock went through the cablecart, which began to move again. Brendan swore.

He quickly got up, saw that the Magma had gone away, and opened the door. Then, he grabbed May by her shoulders.

"WAKE UP!" he yelled. Still, no response.

He lifted her and tried to carry her on his right shoulder. _Tried_ to.

He walked towards the door, and looked down. The cablecart had just left the building, and was now on his way down. Below him, was only a rocky cliff.

Brendan bent through his knees, and jumped when they neared a small tree, on a not-so-very-steep part of the cliff. May still hanging over his shoulder.

He landed on his back, slid down and managed to wrap his left arm around a low branch. Wally landed next to him, and grabbed one of the tree's roots. Brendan's left arm was bleeding again.

May opened her eyes. She had just been dreaming about riding on top of a huge white horse. With dandruff.

"May! Wake up!". "Hm?". "Latios, finally! Grab a branch!".

May rubbed her eyes. She noticed that she was lying very uncomfortably…

"What branch?" she asked. "Hurry up! I'm slipping away!". "Huh?".

May looked around. Brendan was…carrying her? What the…

Brendan began to slide. May immediately grabbed a branch and pulled herself up.

"Finally…" Brendan murmured, grabbing the branch with his right arm, previously occupied with holding May in place.

"What happened?". "Well, while you were having your beauty sleep, Wally and I arrived at Mt. Chimney's top. But before we could get you to wake up, someone made the cablecart go down again!".

"…and then?". "So, we jumped. And that leaves us here, hanging onto a half-broken tree, twelve metres below Mt. Chimney's top!" Brendan said sarcastically.

"All right, you don't have to get angry and all that…".

Wally: "Could you two please stop? We'd be better off if we go and find a way up!".

"Okay, but HOW?". "Good question…".

- ten minutes later -

They reached the top again. After climbing up, they heard a pokémon cry, followed by a huge explosion.

Wally: "There's a battle going on!".

Running towards the crater, they saw that Wally was right.

More then six Magmas were having a battle against… a Beedrill.

The Beedrill's trainer, on closer inspection, was the Nidoking-guy. "Sting, use Twineedle!" he ordered.

Beedrill was flying between the opponent's pokémon, dealing stabs when they lowered their guard.

Beedrill's opponents failed to hit him at all.

"Now, Triple Kick!". "Can a Beedrill do Triple Kick?"Wally whispered. "No!" Brendan replied.

Ignoring the basics of pokémon movesets, Beedrill made a triple 360 degree spin, kicking all his opponents with his hind legs.

"Fly up!". Beedrill started to fly upwards.

"Hyper Beam!". Beedrill stopped and fired a white-hot yellow beam from the tip of his poisonous barb.

The following explosion knocked all his opponents out cold.

Beedrill quietly got returned, an then his owner ran away, towards Mt. Chimney's crater.

"What happened?" May asked, after the smoke had cleared. "He won, of course!" Brendan yelled, running after him.

"Get them! Hurry!" someone yelled. May looked back.

Now, some members of Team Aqua appeared from behind some trees. They ran towards the Magmas.

"Guys, we'd better be going…" May said, "within minutes this place will turn into a battlefield!".

A Magma: "Seviper, Bite that green-haired kid!". "Help!" Wally yelped, jumping aside.

"I choose you, Ralts! Confusion!". The psychic blow knocked back Seviper. "Seviper, use…".

Suddenly, the ground shook. Then, everyone heard rumbling. Small rocks shot out of the crater.

"What's happening!" Brendan yelled above all the rumbling.

"Don't know! You two go on, and I'll catch up with you later! Ralts, Psychic!".

May and Brendan ran around the volcano's crater.

"Ralts, Teleport!" Wally yelled. Ralts disappeared and reappeared a few metres away, avoiding Seviper's Toxic attack. "Now, Confusion!".

The psychic attack did connect, but Seviper seemed to be at a horribly high level. It looked like he didn't take any damage at all.

"Seviper, Constrict!". Ralts got grabbed, and Seviper began to strangle him. "Teleport!".

But Ralts, pain surging through every part of it's tiny body, couldn't even focus.

Brendan and May stopped. They had reached a large, flat plateau on which a strange machine was standing. Next to it, stood a Magma.

This one didn't wear the usual cap, but instead let his long, red hair fall down, reaching his shoulders.

He was having a battle against the Nidoking-guy, now using a Dragonite to battle the Magma's Rhydon.

"Rhydon, Horn Drill!" the Magma ordered.

Brendan recognised his voice. It was the same, cold voice he heard in the cablecart.

"Alpha, Fly!". Dragonite jumped, and remained airborne. Rhydon's attack totally missed it's target.

By now, large chunks of rock came flying out of the crater. Large clouds of smoke appeared.

The Nidoking-guy now noticed Brendan and May.

"Hey! You two! Listen! See that machine over there? Shut it down, or else this volcano will erupt! What are you waiting for? Get g-". "Rhydon, Rock Throw!".

Rhydon hurled large rocks towards Dragonite, who was already badly damaged.

"Alpha!" N-guy yelled as he saw his pokémon fall.

"Rhydon, Horn Drill!". "Evade and Ice Beam!".

Dragonite got hit, but not before he fired an ice-cold beam at Rhydon.

"Return!" the two trainers yelled, returning their pokémon.

"Go, Destroyer!". "Charizard!".

The Magma turned around, facing Brendan and May, and yelled "Stop those two!".

Another Magma appeared from behind the machine. It seemed that he was the one controlling it. He grabbed a pokéball.

As did Brendan and May.

"Together?" May asked, smiling. "You bet!" Brendan said, giving her the thumbs up.

"Flame!". "Muddy!". "Attack!".

"Go, Camerupt!".

"Ralts, try to focus!".

Ralts tried, he really did. But he couldn't. He felt his power flow away…

Seviper closed in, fangs ready to strike. Poison was dripping from his teeth…

Ralts struggled. Seviper tightened his grip. He opened his jaws…

"Camerupt, Magnitude!".

The ground, already moving, now started to shake ferociously. Both Flame and Muddy fell down.

Muddy: "That hurt! Taste my Water Gun!". Muddy used Water Gun, damaging Camerupt.

May, knowing that a Fire-type attack wouldn't be effective, ordered Flame to use a Flying-type attack instead.

"Flame, Peck!". "Hah, not very effective! Camerupt, Stone Tomb!".

Flame got hit in mid-air, and fell down. She laid still.

"Muddy, Water Gun again!". Muddy again fired a high-speed blast of water, but it didn't damage the high-level Camerupt much.

"Camerupt…EARTQUAKE!".

Now, the ground got torn apart. Huge shockwaves hurled both Muddy and Flame in the air.

"And now Fire Blast!".

Camerupt hurled a huge fireball towards the two tiny pokémon.

They flew through the air. The fell down. Into the crater.

The underground rumbling intensified. Searing hot lava got blasted out of the crater.

Brendan jumped, pulling May with him, and laid flat on the ground.

Chunks of white-hot lava flew over their heads.

"Flame!" May screamed, tears in her eyes.

More smoke appeared. Rocks cracked. Steam escaped.

"Camerupt, one more Earthquake!".

Again, huge shockwaves appeared. Brendan and May got hurled backwards.

"Damn!" Brendan yelled as he got flung back.

Brendan looked down. Below him, he could now clearly see the lava.

Everything seemed to move slowly…

He was going to fall into the crater…

He saw May… he grabbed her hand…

Now, everything moved to fast.

Brendan looked down again.

He looked at a ledge, now coming closer.

He reached out, bit on his lip, and closed his eyes.

If only he could reach the ledge…

Ralts felt something. Something cold. Sticky… it was dripping onto his head…

Ralts looked up, and stared at Seviper's fangs.

"Viper!" Seviper said.

Two red eyes stared at Ralts…so this was the end…

Brendan's hand found something hard and cold. He curled his fingers around it, and braced himself.

He slammed into a rock and felt a jerk on his left arm.

Two hands clinged onto his left hand.

His right arm now carried the weight of both him and May.

Brendan opened his eyes.

"Damn…" Brendan whispered, "May! Are you all right?".

"I'm fine!" May yelled from underneath him.

'Why did I ask that?' Brendan asked himself.

He then looked up. Blood was running down his face…he could barely see…

"May, can you climb up?". "No! There's nothing to climb up on!". "Climb up on me!".

Brendan felt a hand grab his leg, then another hand grabbed it.

Brendan could now hold onto the ledge with both arms, but his left arm…

He felt May climb up.

After grabbing the ledge, May pulled herself up.

"Can you get up?" May yelled above all the crashing and raging of the volcano.

"No! I can barely use my left arm!".

His left arm's wound had opened up again, the bandage was about to fall off, and a searing pain spread through Brendan's arm.

He felt two hands grab his right arm.

She tried to pull him up…

Brendan kicked around with his legs, until his foot found a stone.

Carefully, he moved a part of his weight onto the stone.

With his other foot, he tried to find another stone.

Looking down, he saw one just above his middle. If only he could reach it…

Brendan swung his left arm up and grabbed the ledge.

"Help me pull myself up!" he yelled.

May bent through her knees, and grabbed Brendan around his armpits.

Blood streamed down his left arm as he tried to pull himself up.

Putting his unoccupied foot on a stone, he pushed and managed to lift himself up enough to lay down on his belly.

He grabbed another rock for support.

When he looked around, he saw that the N-guy was still facing the same, old Magma.

They were using a Nidoking and a Charizard. Brendan looked to the right.

There, the other Magma was tending to the machine, his Camerupt still on guard.

The Magma turned around, and noticed Brendan and May.

"Camerupt…" he yelled, laughing, "Fire Blast!". Camerupt inhaled.

May looked at Brendan. Brendan looked at May. They both closed their eyes.

"Fire!" the Magma ordered.

"No you don't!".

"I'm one crazy chicken who is going to kick some Camerupt ass!".

"Yeah! I'm…well…let's go!".

(start humming the A-Team theme now)

Some boulders exploded. Out of the smoke came two tiny pokémon, running.

They were glowing white, and…growing?

While running, now on two legs, Muddy fired a stream of Muddy Water, badly damaging Camerupt.

Flame, currently developing arms, jumped.

She flew a few metres, stopped glowing, having fully evolved into Combusken, and Double Kicked Camerupt.

Who fell onto his side.

"Together?" Muddy, now a Marshtomp, asked.

"Yeah!" Flame replied.

They inhaled, and fired a Flamethrower and Muddy Water at the same time.

Knocking out Camerupt.

Brendan, with new hope, pulled himself up and ran towards the machine.

The Magma there tried to stop him, but ran away when Flame and Muddy attacked him.

May hurried towards the machine, too.

Ralts couldn't see clear anymore…the whole world had gone purple…

Wait…did someone say something? It sounded…it remembered him of sheep, hills filled with grass…and…haggis?

Of course!

"Gree man!" Ralts yelled, bashing his head forward.

Between Seviper's eyes.

"All right, Ralts!" Wally yelled.

"I'm gonna win this one!" Ralts yelled, glowing white.

He started to grow.

Unleashing a powerful Psychic attack, he lifted Seviper and threw him against a rock.

"Kirlia!" Kirlia yelled. "(translation:) Now let's get this party started!" he yelled, eyes glowing purple.

He waved his arm, and fired a Psybeam, knocking out two Magma-pokémon at once.

"Charizard, Blast Burn!" Maxie (coz he is Maxie) yelled.

"Destroyer, Hyper Beam!" his opponent yelled.

The two pokémon roared as they unleashed their most powerful attacks.

The following explosion threw both the pokémon and their trainers backwards.

In mid-air, N-guy returned his knocked out Nidoking.

N-guy slammed into a rock wall.

Maxie, with nothing behind him, got thrown back, and fell off the volcano.

His Charizard spread his wings wide, and dove after him.

N-guy tried to and succeeded in standing up, and then sped towards the machine.

Where May and Brendan stood.

"How can we get this thing to shut down!" May said, examinating the keyboard.

"Don't know! Brendan yelled, ducking since another piece of rock flew out of the crater, in his direction.

Now, Brendan began to kick the machine.

"That won't work!" N-guy yelled, having arrived at the machine.

He grabbed a lever and pushed it down, opening a hatch. He reached inside the machine, through the just opened hatch, and pulled out a odd-coloured rock.

The volcano's roaring immediately stopped.

Lava flows ebbed away, the smoke began to disappear, and the ground stopped shaking.

"Finally…" N-guy whispered. Then, he fell down.

"Hey! Where are you going! Come back!" Ralts, correction, Kirlia yelled.

The Magmas, having noticed that the eruption had stopped, returned their pokémon and made a run for it.

The Aquas chased them.

"What's the problem with him?" May asked, nudging N-guy with her foot. Brendan: "Is he dead or something?". May checked his heartbeat.

"Of course not. Guess he's just asleep.".

"May?". "Yeah?". "I wanna ask you something…".

"We did kick some ass, didn't we, Flame?". "Yes we did!". "Um… Flame…". "Eh?". "I've always wanted to ask you something…". "Speak up, Muddy!".

"Come back and fight like a… like a… like a Kirlia, yeah!". Nobody listened.

Wally quickly lifted the swearing Kirlia, and ran towards Brendan and May.

"Hi, guys! Did you know that Ralts evolved into… what's happening here!".

"Flame, I've always wanted to ask you this…um…". Say it!". "Which was first, the chicken or the egg?".

"What did you want to ask, Brendan?". "Do you have some bandages? My arm is about to fall off."

Wally: "What happened to you, Brendan?".

"Well, let's see… I've been blown away by an earthquake, I've climbed out of a volcano's crater, I've…".

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're beaten up and totally wrecked… but why is HE lying there?" Wally asked, pointing his finger at N-guy.

"He stopped this machine-thingy," May said, "which caused the volcano's eruption to come to a halt. Afterwards, he fell down and didn't get up.".

Wally: "He isn't… is he?". Brendan: "He's just asleep.". May: I wonder what his name is…".

"Well, shall we get going?" Wally said, looking at the now clear midnight sky. "It must be past midnight…".

"Before we go," May said, hands against her side, "shouldn't we wake him up or something?".

She nodded in the direction of the N-guy.

Brendan: "Muddy?". "Tomp?". "Use Water Gun on the guy over there, but not too hard, OK?".

Razor opened his eyes.

He was standing in a large meadow, surrounded by Nidoran.

He patted one of them on the head.

A loud rumbling could be heard.

The Nidoran began to run.

A huge wave crashed down, devouring both him and the Nidoran.

"What the…". "Ah, you're awake. Good morning!". "May, it's two 'o clock AM.".

"Shut up, Wally. And, how are you feeling?" she asked N-guy.

"Um… wet?".

Brendan: "Why the hell did you black out? A volcanic eruption was going on!".

"Ah, my head… well, firstly, the eruption had stopped _before_ I fell down. Secondly, I've been awake for 48 hours now. Can you blame me for falling asleep?".

Then, the N-guy stood up, turned around, grabbed the rock he had pulled out of the machine, and walked towards the crater.

He looked down. "All safe…" he whispered. "Thanks for helping, by the way." He then said, grabbing another pokéball.

He threw it, and his Dragonite appeared.

"Can you fly, Alpha?".

Dragonite flapped his wings, and nodded. Then, he lowered his head.

"What's your name?" May asked.

"My name?" He asked while climbing up on his Dragonite's back.

"It's Razor. And you are?".

"I'm May, and these two here are Brendan and Wally!".

"Aha. Well, goodbye." Razor said.

"Alpha, Extremespeed!".

With a loud bang, Dragonite shot through the sound barrier. A second later, he was gone.

"Razor…" May said.

"Guys…" Wally said, "Do you know what time it is?". Brendan: "You just told us, Wally.".

"Oh yeah, you're right. But anyway, I suggest that we go and walk down Route 112 to Lavaridge, and go get some sleep.".

"That's fine with me…" Brendan yawned.

- - - - -

And that's the end of a feel-good chapter!

Surprised I gave myself a role in this fanfic? I've got it all planned, you know.

It'll take me a bit more time to post my next chapter, since my vacation is now over.

Don't worry, next weekend I'll see if I can post some new chapters.

One, of course, featuring Lavaridge's Gym battle, and the other one…

Well, Brendan, May and Wally plan to go to the Hot Springs!

If I receive many reviews, I may update faster!

But I can't promise anything, since I've got other priorities as well.

Like school work and watching Gundam Seed Destiny.

Again, please REVIEW!


	26. Lavaridge Battles

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Gundam Seed Destiny.

What's the big deal with BrendanxMay or WallyxMay? Stop complaining, this is MY fanfic. What about BrendanxWally?

Dark Murderer said something like "I thought you were that kind of guy". I never told I was a guy (my nickname might hint at it, but…)

Well, everyone, here's another chapter. Be happy.

CHAPTER 26: LAVARIDGE BATTLES

The next morning, it was past eleven before May, Wally and Brendan woke up inside Lavaridge's Pokécentre.

After a nurse looked at and tended to Brendan's arm, they all had breakfast ("Damn, Muddy! You're eating even more then before!").

They went to Lavaridge's Gym.

They were all wearing their original outfits again, since their new ones had gotten torn apart the day before.

"What kind of mess is this?" May asked, walking into the gym.

Inside, there was fog everywhere. And, it was beep ing hot, too.

"Now what?" Brendan asked, leaning against a wall. "Latios! This wall is hot!".

"Let's see…" Wally said, walking into the fog.

Brendan and May heard a yelp, and when they reached Wally's position, Wally was gone.

"Where did he go…ooaaaaahhh!" Brendan yelled.

"Brendan? Wally?". May looked around. Nothing but fog. Oh well…

She closed her eyes, and stepped forward.

May fell down, and landed on top of something soft. Sand? No, it was…

"May, please go off me, could you?".

The soft something she was sitting on, seemed to be Brendan, lying belly-flat on the ground.

May quickly stood up, head glowing like a beet.

"Where are we?" Brendan asked, rubbing his back.

"This place is a maze!" Wally, standing next to them, said.

May: "What do you mean with that?".

"Well, do you see those holes?". Wally pointed his finger at a hole in the sand. "I recon, if we jump in them, we'll get launched up again.

"Really? How did you find out?".

Wally bent down, grabbed a rock, and threw it inside the hole.

After a few seconds, a geyser lifted the rock and shot it upwards.

"You're not saying we're supposed to go in there?" May asked, frightened.

"Guess so…" Brendan said, jumping into a hole. Nothing happened.

"Brendan?" May yelled, looking down the hole.

She jumped back just in time, as a geyser shot Brendan back up.

May jumped into another hole and got launched, too.

Now, Wally was all alone.

"Kirlia, use Teleport!" he yelled, throwing a pokéball.

"Kirl' (translation:) What?".

"Just use Teleport!".

Kirlia shrugged his shoulders, and Teleported.

Brendan wondered why he didn't got soaked from the geyser. Surely, it was water… but it seemed to evaporate on touch…

When the geyser stopped, he was in another room. "Hello? Anyone?" he yelled.

No response. Did something move there? Brendan ran forwards, and tripped. He fell into another hole.

May looked around. It seemed that there wasn't anyone in this room…

She jumped into another random hole.

"Kirlia, why did you Teleport us to this place?" Wally yelled, hanging onto the gutter.

He was now (almost) on top of the Gym. "Teleport, again!".

A purple flash, and they were gone.

May fell head-down into the sand. She got up, grabbed her fallen-off bandana, and whipped some sand from it.

Then, hoping that this one would take her to the Gym Leader, she jumped into another hole.

Seconds later, she got launched upwards again.

Brendan landed, and rolled. When he looked around, he saw two legs.

Assuming that the two legs belonged to someone, he looked up.

Into the face of a red-haired girl wearing a black top and jeans.

"Hi. I'm Flannery, this town's Gym Leader. And you are?".

Wally now landed inside a hole. "Kirlia! Teleport! Quickly!".

And before the geyser could shoot them upwards, they were gone.

"We'll do a two-on two battle, okay?" Flannery asked, holding up a pokéball.

"Okay! Go, Axl!". Axl: "Aye!".

"Hmm, a Bagon… Go, Magcargo!".

"Hydro Pump!". "Rock Throw!".

Axl fired a long blast of water, but missed. Then, he got hit by Rock Throw.

"Magcargo, Flamethrower!". "Counter with your own Flamethrower, Axl!".

The two fire streams hit each other, and caused an explosion.

"Headbutt, Axl!". Axl leaped through the smoke caused by the explosion, and closed in on Magcargo, head bent down.

Magcargo didn't attack. Instead, he defended himself by retreating inside his shell.

Axl rammed the shell seconds after, and got thrown back.

"Magcargo, sweep the ground with a Flamethrower!". "Axl, jump forward!".

Axl jumped, evading the Flamethrower, and landed on top of Magcargo's shell.

"Headbutt!". "Withdraw!".

Again, Magcargo retreated inside his shell. Axl rammed his head against the shell, but it made no difference.

"Continually Headbutt his shell!". "Ach, do I rea'ly have ta do that?". "Headbutt!". "AYE!".

May landed on her feet, and brushed some sand off her clothes. She saw that there were three holes.

"Eeny meeny miny mo…".

"Kirlia, can you Teleport to specific places, or only at random appear and disappear?".

"Kirl! ( translation:) Only at random.".

Axl again rammed his head against Magcargo's shell. And again. And another time.

After five more times, Axl stopped. Swaying with his head.

"Do ya see all those wee Bagon fly 'round me head?".

Axl felled forward, and rolled off Magcargo's back. He then lied still.

Flannery: "Your Bagon has knocked himself out! That's one point for me!".

Magcargo reappeared outside his shell, laughing.

Brendan: "Axl… … … Use Hydro Pump!".

Axl: "KICK ASS!".

Due to Axl's close range, the Hydro Pump hit Magcargo in the face. He fainted.

Flannery returned her pokémon.

Brendan, seeing that Axl was trying to give the invisible Bagon around his head a Glaswegian Kiss, returned Axl.

May got launched again. After the 'going upwards' part, she landed on her bottom.

"Ow…" she said, rubbing her back. "That's the… I-don't-know'st time!".

Standing up, she saw two persons face each other through the fog. They stood a few metres away from each other.

"B-boy? Is that you?". "May?". "Wait, I'm coming towards you!". "No, don't! There's…ah, cr beep .".

May fell into yet another hole.

Flannery: "Shall we continue?". "Sure. Go, Muddy!". Brendan's Marshtomp appeared.

"I choose you, Flareon!" Flannery yelled, throwing a pokéball. Out came a white furred fox, with red paws and head.

"Muddy Water!". "Use Agility!".

Flareon easily evaded the attack by running, and stopped right behind Muddy.

Wally, now getting angry, returned Kirlia and jumped headfirst into a hole.

He didn't know that this wasn't a geyser, but a hole leading to the basement.

He landed on his head.

"Flareon, Tackle!".

Muddy got Tackled from behind, making him eat dirt.

"Now, Body Slam!". Flareon jumped.

"Muddy, Dig!". Muddy buried himself underground, evading the attack. A few metres away, he 'surfaced' again.

"Quick attack Flareon!". "Muddy, use Water Gun!".

Flareon sped forward, barely evading the Water Gun, and…

"Mud-Shot!".

Flareon, only half a metre away from Muddy, couldn't evade this one.

She got hit, heavily damaged, and crashed into Muddy.

May stood up, and quickly dove into another hole.

In a few seconds, she got send skywards. Having landed on the floor above, she looked around.

Seems like Brendan's bushy…

Well, I won't bother him, then.

She sat down and watched the battle continue.

Muddy rolled over. "Flareon, jump back! Now, Flamethrower!".

The white-red fox-like pokémon jumped back, and unleashed a stream of fire.

"Muddy, Water sport!".

Muddy, lying on his back, opened his mouth and fired a scattershot water blast, drenching the battlefield.

Due to the high temperature of the environment, huge steamclouds appeared, hiding Muddy.

So, the Flamethrower missed. "Now, Muddy Water!".

Suddenly, Flareon got hit in the back by a blast of blast of water.

Now, Flareon was the one eating dirt.

"Take Down, Muddy!". Muddy charged forward. "Flareon, Overheat!".

Flareon began to glow red, and then bursted into flames, sending a fiery shockwave towards Muddy.

Muddy got hit, flew backwards, and landed on his side.

Flareon tried to stand up, but the last attack seemed to have exhausted her.

"Muddy, stand up and try Water Gun!".

Muddy crawled up, and opened his mouth.

"Overheat!".

Flareon screamed, and then again fired a shockwaves of flames towards Muddy.

"Water Gun!".

The blast of water easily stopped the Overheat attack.

Flareon, now at the end of her power, collapsed.

"This is our chance! Muddy Water!".

It was a direct hit. Flareon got hurled backwards, landed on her back and didn't move.

"Flareon, return!". The unconscious Fire-type disappeared.

"Great job, Muddy!" Brendan yelled, high-fiving him.

Muddy: "Yeah yeah, I know. I'm great. Can we eat now?".

"Damn!" Wally yelled. He landed hard on his knees, and then fell forward.

Whiping the sand from his face, he stood up.

Then, he carefully stepped into another hole.

After Brendan obtained his Heat Badge, and May managed to reach Brendan and Flannery without falling into a pit, May challenged Lavaridge Town's Gym Leader.

"Two on two?" May asked. "Why, of course." Flannery replied, throwing a pokéball.

"Go, Ninetales!". "I choose you, Flame!".

The newly evolved Combusken faced the white, nine-tailed Ninetales. Whose eyes were glowing red.

"Flame, Double Kick!".

Flame charged at Ninetales, who didn't move. Yet. "Ninetales, Will-o-Wisp.".

Suddenly, Ninetales opened her mouth and hurled a stream of small flames at Flame.

Who, in her turn, jumped.

"Now, High Jump Kick!". Flame over the flames, and kicked Ninetales in the face.

"Ninetales, Quick Attack!".

Ninetales moved at a blinding speed, striking Flame and creating some distance between them as well.

Flame jumped back up.

"Flamethrower!" both trainers yelled.

The two Fire-types fired fire streams at each other. "Ninetales, stop!".

Ninetales closed her mouth again. She continued to stare at Flame, who was now inhaling for a second attack.

Flame used Flamethrower again. Ninetales got engulfed by flames.

Wally had enough. "Go, Kirlia!". Kirlia: "Now what?". "Teleport me out of this place!".

"Eh?". "You heard me!".

"Flame, hold your fire!". Flame stopped.

When the flames had disappeared, Ninetales still stood there.

"What the-". "FIRE BLAST!".

Powered up by Flash Fire, Ninetales unleashed her most powerful attack.

A wall of flames was sent in Flame's direction.

"Flame, use High Jump Kick to avoid the Fire Blast!". Flame bent through her knees, and launched herself upwards.

"Ninetales, Confuse Ray!".

Ninetales fired a flashing, purple ball of light towards Flame.

Flame got hit, but continued her aerial attack without flinching.

"Ninetales, step aside.".

Flame, now coming down, didn't see her target move (hey, she's confused!).

She crashed into the ground, and lied still.

"Flame, stand up!" May yelled. Nothing happened.

"Flame, return!" May said, as she returned her pokémon.

"Here goes nothing…Go, Petria!".

"Trap? (translation:) What?" Petria asked, as soon as she appeared.

"Petria, Sandstorm!". "Okay…".

Petria began to hurl sand in every direction. Soon, a sandstorm brewed.

"Dig!" May ordered, just loud enough to be heard by Petria, but not loud enough to be heard by Flannery or Ninetales.

Who couldn't see a thing through the sandstorm.

"Bite!" May yelled suddenly.

Petria leaped out of the ground beneath Ninetales, and bit her in the leg.

"Ninetales, Bite back!".

But Petria bad already gone underground again. "Sand Tomb!".

A sand-twister appeared. Ninetales got lifted up, and got thrown away.

Ninetales fell down, and couldn't get up again.

"Ninetales, return!" Flannery yelled.

The sandstorm began to subside.

"My strongest! Torkoal! Go!".

"Kirlia!". "Kirl? (translation:) WHAT!".

"Well, maybe pokémon don't mind, but I do mind that I'm stuck here, up in a tree, fifteen metres above the ground, hanging onto a breaking branch! Teleport!".

Now, the room began to fill up with smoke.

"Torkoal, Smokescreen again!".

Torkoal had now done Smokescreen four times, and Petria couldn't even see her own nose anymore (assuming that Trapinch have got noses).

"Now, Flamethrower!".

A searing fire stream swept through the room. Petria (and Brendan) got hit.

"Petria, follow the Flamethrower back to it's owner!".

Petria charged towards the point from which the Flamethrower seemed to originate.

"Torkoal, Smog!".

Torkoal enveloped himself with poisonous fog. Petria backed away.

"Dig and Bite, again!".

Petria went underground, and surfaced next to Torkoal. Her huge jaws slammed shut around Torkoal's leg.

Torkoal let out a cry, and tried to stomp Petria.

"Torkoal, Overheat!".

Torkoal let out shockwaves of flames, throwing Petria away.

She landed on her back, unable to move.

"Now…" Flannery said, "Smog!". Torkoal fired a stream of poisonous gas towards Petria.

The gas piled up around Petria, suffocating her.

"Torkoal, don't stop! Keep using Smog!". "Petria, try to stand up and Dig!".

Petria: "Air…".

For Petria, everything went black.

"Torkoal, stop! It looks like we've won!".

"Petria…" May whispered, walking towards the smog surrounding her Trapinch.

"Hey! Why doesn't the smog disappear? Petria might suffocate and die!" May yelled towards Flannery.

"Petria, no!".

Petria opened her eyes.

Everything was white…

It seemed that they were inside a Pokémon Centre…

"Kirlia?". "Rlia? (translation:) Don't say anything…you want me to Teleport again…well, here we go…".

Wally was just about to congratulate Kirlia with successfully Teleporting to the Gym's entrance, when they disappeared.

Petria blinked. Energy surged through her tiny body as if a whole sugar bowl had been injected directly into her body…

Petria blinked with her eyes again.

Then, she moved her wings.

Well, those wings seem to work…

Now, it's time to kick some turtle ass…

May stepped back from the Smog.

Light emitted from the Smog's centre. May could clearly hear the high-speed flapping of wings…

"Vibrava!" a pokémon voice yelled.

Then, the Smog got blown away. No, it got blown in a specific direction…

Suddenly, a loud buzzing could be heard. Huge gusts of wind blew the Smog in the direction of Torkoal, who now couldn't breathe.

"Petria, Sand Tomb!".

Petria flapped her newly grown wings at high velocity and whipped up another twister which teared through the already weakened Torkoal.

Torkoal rolled onto his side.

"Come on! Overheat!". "Tork!".

Torkoal flashed, and released one last fiery shockwave. Then, he fainted.

Pillars of fire shot up from the ground. Petria could only barely avoid them.

"Petria, Sand Tomb on yourself!" May yelled.

Petria whipped up yet another sand-twister, this time with herself in the middle of it.

The shockwaves couldn't get through. Petria had protected herself.

"Hell, Kirlia, what did you do that for! Now we're inside again!" Wally yelled.

Looking around, he saw Brendan and May, both receiving something from a red-haired woman.

When they were outside again (Flannery had shown them a secret exit: a window), they discussed what to do next.

Wally: "Can we hike down Route 112 and then continue our way to Mauville? We can get there before five 'o clock if we leave now.".

Brendan: "I doubt we'll make it to Mauville…".

May, cuddling Petria: "I exercise my Veto against! Can't we just take the rest of the day off?".

Brendan: "That doesn't sound too bad…".

Wally: "Well then, shall we go to the Hot Springs?".

Brendan and May: "Hot Springs?".

"Yeah, Hot Springs! Didn't you know? Lavaridge is famous for them!".

Brendan: "That really doesn't sound too bad!".

May: "Well then, shall we get going?".

- - - - -

The ending of this chapter was supposed to be the beginning of the next chapter…oh well.

You can guess what's gonna happen in the next chapter!

And to make me post it, the only thing you've got to do is…

You can guess it by now, right?

Expect a few days delay, since I've got a lot (a LOT) of things to do for school.

Until next time!

AND GIVE ME R…you know.


	27. The Baths

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon, Gundam Seed Destiny or Final Fantasy.

Yay, another chapter! Be happy!

I'll try to describe emotions better, since I figured that the last few chapters had a bit of a lack of emotions…

Guess you were right, Dark Murder.

This chapter'll have a reeeeeally relaxed writing style or something. You know, relaaaaaaaaxed. Like blowing.

CHAPTER 27: THE BATHS

"Welcome to Lavaridge's Hot Springs!" the lady behind the counter said.

Wally: "Um, hi…".

Lady behind counter: "The entrance fee…".

Brendan: "Entrance fee? I thought this place was for free!".

"The entrance fee…".

May: "Do you guys have money with you? I, um, left my wallet in my bag at the Pokécentre!".

"The entrance fee…".

Brendan: "Wait….um…yeah! I don't have my wallet with me, either! Wally, could you..?".

"The entrance fee…".

Wally: "Wait, are you two suggesting that I…".

"The entrance fee…".

"May and I will go and look where the entrance's supposed to be. We'll all get back here at… say…18:30? Can you pay, Wally?".

"The entrance fee…".

"Hey! Stop! Come back!".

"The entrance fee…".

"Not fair…".

"The entr-". "Yeah, I know!".

- further down the hall -

"May?". "Yeah?".

"Did you really leave your wallet at the Centre?".

"Of course not!".

Brendan grinned. "Me neither!".

- with Wally, again -

"Bunch of no-good, cheap, money-grubbing…" Wally murmered as he returned his wallet to his pocket, and walked down the hall.

At the end of the hall, there were three doors.

Without looking, Wally opened the leftmost door and stepped inside.

Wait…

Wally stopped, walked a few steps backwards, and inspected the door's icon.

Oh my…

Wally began to turn red.

Wally took another step back, into the hall, and closed the door.

Wally's face was now as red as a beet.

Upon closing the door, the screaming began.

Wally didn't actually understand what was being said, but he did notice that the word 'perv' got mentioned several times.

Brendan turned around in his small changing cubicle. Did he hear screaming or something?

He was currently standing on his left foot, taking off his right shoe. By turning around, he lost his balance.

Brendan bashed with his head against the cubicle's wall, and landed on his side on the wet floor.

Now, his shirt was soaked.

"Can't even turn my ass around in this cubicle…" he whispered while grabbing the small wooden couch with one hand and pulling himself up.

He supported his body weight by putting his shoe-less foot on the ground. Now, his sock got soaked.

"Ah, cr beep !" Brendan yelled, raising his hands into the air. He was now sitting on one knee.

Brendan reached out upwards with his hand, and got hold of something soft and sturdy.

He tried to pull himself up, but the soft something seemed to be his towel, hanging on a handle.

The handle broke.

Now, Brendan was pulling himself up by thin air.

In order to maintain balance, he quickly planted one hand on the floor behind him.

His hand slipped, due to the wet floor.

Brendan fell backwards, and crashed with the back of his head against the door.

The door's lock, now submitted to more then half of Brendan's weight, broke.

The door swayed open, and Brendan slid, flat on his back, into the changing room.

At that moment, Wally walked in.

"What happened to you?" Wally asked, seeing Brendan lying there, flat on his back, shoe in one hand and his clothes soaked.

"You really don't wanna know…" Brendan said while standing up, grabbing his stuff and walking into another changing cubicle.

May opened her cubicle's door, dressed in nothing but a towel (I'm not gonna describe this any further…).

After examinating a sign saying that pokémon were allowed in the baths, she dumped her stuff in a locker, grabbed Zeal and Petria's pokéballs, and locked the locker.

Then, she walked towards a door with 'BATHS THIS WAY' written on it.

Opening the door, she entered another white-walled hall.

To her left, there were doors 'SHOWERS' written on them.

To her right, there was a store selling ugly yellow towels featuring Psyducks or Chinchou.

It also sold soap, a inner tube resembling an Wailmer, even more ugly bathing caps and the ugliest; Hoenn starter plush dolls.

Walking down the hall, May went through a double sliding door. Now, she was outside.

Right in front of her, there was a platform about five metres in surface.

It was surrounded by a rocky red landscape, not much bigger then the inside of a Pokécentre, with large pools of hot water scattered around the main platform.

The area was surrounded by vertically rising high natural rock walls.

If you looked up, you could see trees hanging over the cliffs high up.

The tree's leaves blocked some of the incoming sunlight, making a beautiful shade pattern appear on the rocks and in the water.

Some woman were bathing inside the hot springs.

May walked down the stone stairs, and stepped into the water.

She continued to walk forward until the water reached her ankles.

Holding her towel in place with one hand, she opened her two pokéballs with her other hand.

Zeal and Petria appeared.

Gravity immediately got hold of Zeal, and he fell into the water.

A second later, he was floating around peacefully, his eyes closed in extance.

Petria spread her wings wide, and glided towards a rock hanging over a hot spring.

Here, Petria enjoyed the hot vapour rising from the spring. In other words, Petria was having a steam bath.

Brendan stepped through the double slide door.

In his left hand, he was holding three pokéballs. His right hand was supporting a red-white towel wrapped around his waist.

The place he had just entered, looked a lot like the place previously described (although Brendan didn't know that the place had been described at all).

Except that this one had a few trees missing up the cliff, making some of the pools bathe in sunlight.

Also, a large boulder was lying in another hot spring on his side, Blocking off Brendan's vision range.

Bare footed, Brendan walked down the stairs, consisting of large stone slabs.

Having reached the water, he opened his pokéballs one by one.

Out came Muddy, Axl and Lightning.

Axl: "Eh! Do yu guys know where the beep we are?".

"Looks like…cool! Hot springs!" Muddy said as he jumped into the water and began to float around.

Lightning yelled "Cannonball!", and jumped after him. Too late he realized that he jumped into _very_ shallow water.

Axl carefully tried the water with one of his feet.

"Eh, Muddy…". "What, Axl?".

"Um…I can't…quite…um…ye ken?". "No.".

"Ye ken, I can't um, swim…".

May was now sitting on a underwater stone bench. The water reached her shoulders.

She watched Zeal float by, snoring.

Then, she moved her head to the left, and spotted Petria, who was now sweating like a…like a…never mind.

May moved her head backwards, and leaned onto the rock wall. Now, she was looking up.

She could clearly see the blue sky through the leaves of the trees…

"Today is a beautiful day…" she thought, relaxing.

Axl was floating. He had been stuffed inside a water ring, and was now enjoying the warm hot spring water.

Occasionally, he had to row with his paws in order to maintain balance, since although the water ring _did_ enable him to float, it didn't enable him to float with his head up.

Until now, it hat occurred three times that he went upside down while swearing really, _really_ harsh in Scottish.

And each time, Muddy had to rescue him before he suffocated…

Wally walked through the double sliding door.

Kirlia was walking next to him, and Alt was sitting on his head. Willy's pokéball got carried by Kirlia.

Wally walked down a path made up from pebbles, and sat down in a hot spring.

He leaned back, putting his arms behind his head. The water almost reached his neck.

Soon, he fell asleep.

Alt was now making use of the water butt next to the entrance. He used it as a bird bath.

Willy had swum to the bottom of the hot spring, and was shooting up Water Guns at unexpecting swimmers.

Kirlia had sat down in yet another hot spring, and was now thinking about important questions of life like: religious things, politics, maths and the platypus duck.

May swiped some sweat from her forehead.

She was feeling very comfortable in the water…

May tried to listen to a conversation.

A few metres away, two woman were sitting in the water and talking about some beauty contest.

May wondered if it was a pokémon beauty contest or… whatever it was, they were praising one of the contestants to the sky…

Suddenly, she heard a male voice yell "Alpha, don't!".

May sat up straight, clasping her towel with both hands, and looked around. No one.

She heard the same voice again: "Now look what you've done!".

The voice was coming from the other side of the rock wall…

"Must've been something in the boy's hot springs…" May thought, laying down in the water again.

Brendan heard the yelling, too.

It originated from behind the big boulder laying in one of the hot springs.

Curious, he stood up and waded through the water towards the boulder.

After rounding the corner. Brendan grinned.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

In the water, sat the N-guy (Razor) wearing a ridiculously purple towel.

His hair had been soaked, and was now hanging flat down his face.

Next to him, in the water, sat his Dragonite.

"Nice hair!".

"Very funny. Alpha, the next time, just soak someone else's head, OK?". "Dragonite!".

"Do we have a deal?". "Drag'nite!".

Brendan, scratching the back of his head, said "What happened to your hair?".

Dragonite giggled, and splashed his tail into the water, creating a huge wave.

"Alpha, I said-". Razor yelled, just before the wave crashed onto him.

Brendan didn't stay dry, either.

"Doesn't your Dragonite listen to you or something?" Brendan said angrily, whipping the wet hair from his face.

"Alpha just thinks he's being funny." Razor replied.

Brendan sat down onto a underwater rock. Next to him, stood an enormous flower. It's roots seemed to be underwater.

"You don't wanna sit there!" Razor said, sitting up straight and crossing one leg over the other.

"Why not?".

"Because you're sitting on top of Blade…".

Alt had now finished washing himself in the water butt. He began to sing.

"Raindrops keep falling on my head…".

Muddy fell asleep. He was not floating upside-down towards the drainpipe.

Lightning was chasing his own tail. Kirlia was wondering why cheese didn't taste like milk.

Axl had only barely survived an unfortunate incident in which Willy was involved.

It had something to do with Axl, swearing, biting and a leak in Axl's water ring.

Wally opened his eyes. He stared at the sky. Clouds passed by.

Hy yawned, and stretched himself out. Man, did he feel relaxed…

Wally yawned again, rubbing his eyes.

Then, he stood up and laid down into the water, drifting along. Only his face sticked out of the water.

Zeal bumped into something. It was soft and warm…

Zeal opened his one eye.

"Sitting on top of Blade? What?".

"Yeah, Blade. Blade! Come here for a moment, will ya?".

The rock Brendan was sitting on began to move. Brendan jumped off.

A large, green, toad-like face emerged.

"Meet Blade, my Venusaur." Razor yawned.

May opened her eyes. Did she just fall asleep? Hmm… what time was it?

Looking around, she found a clock, hanging just above the double sliding door. Five 'o clock…

Zeal looked up, into a angry girl face.

"Not good…wait, isn't the thing I just bumped into… No…".

It wasn't really Zeal's fault. He was just a little Silcoon, not able to move much on his own.

But still, he got grabbed and flung away.

Petria flapped her wings.

"Nothing better then a steam bath and then a evening flight…" she thought. She took off.

Falling down, she began to flap her wings.

Flying low over the water, Petria looked around. When she saw a strange shadow in the water, she held still in mid-air.

A faint sound could be heard. Was it… a pokémon cry?

Petria noticed that the shadow was getting bigger.

She carefully manoeuvred towards it. Now, she could clearly hear the sound.

It was a Silcoon's cry. And it was coming from… above?

Petria looked up. Something came falling down. Oh sh-

Then, the world went blue for Petria.

May looked at the clock again, and decided that it was time to go.

She made sure that her towel would stay in place, and stood up.

She returned Petria and Zeal, who were both floating around unconsciously for some reason.

May went into the building again, grabbed soap, shampoo and a fresh towel from her locker, and went to the showers.

"Yer never gonna do that again, aye!" Axl yelled.

"Nonono! Please! Stop…". "Gree!". BAM

"Okay, okay! I'll never do it again!".

"Ye better don't, Willy!" Axl yelled.

He had pulled Willy ashore after the 'incident', and was not giving him a lesson in 'sco'ish discipline'.

"Now, yer nevr gonna do tha' again?".

(with a high voice) "Yeah, I'll never scare the hell out of someone balancing in a water ring ever again! Can I now go? I…can't…breathe…".

"Tha's a bit of a problem for ye…" Axl said, as he kicked Willy in the face.

Causing him to roll into the water.

Wally stretched himself out, and stood up. He then noticed that a clock was hanging above the building's entrance.

"Six 'o clock!" Wally said.

He looked around, and began to search for his pokémon.

Kirlia was thinking up a reason why Lightning was chasing his own tail, when Wally returned him.

Half a minute later, Wally found Willy. Floating belly-up in the hot spring water.

Now, only Alt was missing.

"You have to pay for these things?" May said angrily.

She was looking at the sign on the shower's door.

Next to it, was a slot designed for receiving money.

"Oh well…".

"You don't have any other pokémon under water, have you?" Brendan asked, looking at the water.

"Not under water…". "Venu?".

"Yeah, you can go and sleep some more, Blade…". "Ven…" Venusaur said, before he disappeared under water again.

Brendan: "Well?".

"What?".

"What are you doing here?".

"Well, what do you think?" Razor said, arms crossed.

Wally had given up the search for Alt.

He was now walking towards the lockers in order to grab soap and a towel.

The problem was that Wally had forgotten his locker's number (the _number_, because all the lockers had been numbered. Not the locker's opening code.).

May grabbed her shampoo bottle, and tried to get some of the bottle's content out of it.

Then, she began to wash her hair while humming the pokémon G/S/C Theme.

She heard someone else hum, too. The other person was humming along…

"And… how did you get your Dragonite? Alpha, was it?" Brendan asked.

Brendan had now listened to the history of Razor's entire pokémon team. Except his Dragonite's.

"Well…" Razor said, patting his Dragon-type on the head, "I won him in Celadon City's Game Corner. He was still a little Dratini back then. Hell, you've grown a lot!".

He directed the last sentence towards Alpha.

Who in his turn flapped his wings and tried to turn around inside the hot springs without pushing anyone away.

Brendan: "Do you have the time?".

"Well, Psy might know… but I haven't got him with me at the moment. Anyway, there is a clock hanging over there." Razor said while nodding his head towards the clock above the sliding doors.

"Ten past… six? I'd better be going! See you around!".

"Same to you, too or something like that." Razor yawned.

Wally had now tried his locker's opening code on more then half of the locker's. And so far, four had opened.

None of them contained his own stuff.

"Why the hell does everyone use that code!" Wally thought out loud.

"Is it easy to remember, or something?" he said while trying the code on another locker.

He soundlessly spelled the numbers with his mouth.

"Nine…eleven… Ah, wrong again…".

May was now humming FF6: Terra's Theme while rinsing out her hair.

The other 'humster' was still humming along, doing the lower part of the theme.

Muddy, lying on a rock, flat on his back, mouth wide open and drooling, got found by Brendan.

"Muddy, return." Brendan said, while returning Muddy. Saying that didn't have any actual use, but it made Brendan feel important.

"Could you two please stop that?" Brendan asked Axl and Lightning.

Lightning had found a new game. Instead of chasing his _own_ tail, he was now chasing Axl's tail.

Axl, in his turn, reacted like he always does. He tried to headbutt Lightning.

The problem for Axl was, that he could not hit something with his head that was _behind_ him.

So, they were chasing each other.

"Ah, please…" Brendan sighed as he returned his two pokémon to their respective pokéballs.

May finished showering, and groped for her towel.

She, and the other 'humster' were humming Gundam Seed Destiny: Reason, the final verse.

Drying herself, she listened to the 'humster' in order to find out where she was.

The sound seemed to come from…above?

May looked up.

Alt was sitting on one of the hangers.

"Eeeek! You…perv!" May screamed, throwing her soap and shampoo bottle at him.

Who flew up, and disappeared beneath the door.

"Perv pokémon…" May whispered as she continued to dry her hair.

"But he _is_ a good singer…" she thought.

"What are you doing!" Brendan yelled a t Wally, seeing that he had opened his locker.

"I've forgotten my locker's number! So, I'm trying out my code on all locks.".

"How did you…" Brendan asked, putting showering supplies in a plastic bag and grabbing his clothes.

"Well, it seems that everyone uses the same code…" Wally said, ignoring the fact that Brendan had already left and was walking towards the showers.

Brendan entered the shower, ignoring the sign on the door.

He undressed, and noticed that in the shower, the hangers had been broken off.

So, he hanged his plastic bag containing soap, anti-dandruff shampoo and a towel on the doorknob.

He hanged his clothes over the door.

Brendan grabbed soap and shampoo with one hand, and stepped underneath the shower.

After some reading came the cry "PAY FOR!".

Brendan grabbed his(old and wet) towel, wrapped it around his waist, grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

Causing his plastic bag to slide off the doorknob.

Brendan swore.

He opened the door just enough to look outside and put money in the slot on the door.

"Why the hell is this thing placed on the outside!" Brendan asked himself.

He slammed the door shut, causing his clothes to fall off.

Brendan swore some more.

He opened the door _again_, grabbed his hairband, gloves and boxer (which had fallen off the door to the other side), and carefully closed the door again.

After hanging his clothes over the door once more, showering and finding out that his shampoo had run dry, Brendan dressed properly and walked out of the shower.

"Bad hair day?" Wally asked, walking out of another shower.

Brendan's hair was hanging flat down over his hairband.

"Oh, just shut up…" Brendan replied while trying to get his hair in it's usual spike-form.

"Alt, there you are!" Wally yelled when he and Brendan entered the main hall.

Alt was hiding behind a trash can.

Wally lifted him up and put him down on top of his head.

It now looked like Wally was wearing a white fur cap.

"Where have you been?" Wally asked Alt, looking up.

Alt: "Swab!". "Um…". "Swablu!". "That explains a lot…".

Now, may walked into the main hall while combing her hair.

"That was relaxing!" she said happily, fastening her bandana.

"Yes it was!" Brendan yawned.

Wally: "Can we go now? Let's go and find something to eat!".

"Sure…" Brendan replied, stopping his fiddling with his hair and combing it all backwards with one hand.

They walked out of the building.

- - - - -

Another chapter up!

Maybe I'll add the next chapter before the end of this weekend, but you'll have to review this in order to make me post it!


	28. Crossing Rivers

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Gundam Wing.

I'd like to thank Chaos Knight Malik for giving me a morale boost! As soon as I read his review, I began writing this chapter!

CHAPTER 28: TO MAUVILLE (AGAIN) AND CROSSING A RIVER

"What are you talking about? Climbing down? Why can't we go up Route 112 to the cablecart?" May said, looking down.

They were standing on the easternmost edge of Lavaridge Town., where the ground level suddenly dropped dramatically. In other words, there was a cliff.

They could now either climb down the cliff or take a long detour by climbing up Route 112 again and get down using the cablecart.

Brendan: "Can you imagine how long that'll take? Look, you just grab the rope here…".

Brendan grabbed a rope which was attached to the upper part of the cliff, onto a rock.

"Tie this part around your middle like _this_, and hold the rope with your left hand like _this_, and then keep the rest of the rope in you other hand…" Brendan said as he showed May and Wally how to climb down.

He then grabbed the rolled up rope with one hand, and the first part of the rope with his other hand.

Then, he climbed down over the edge, and began to _vertically_ walk down the cliff, hanign onto the rope with one hand.

With his other hand, he slowly paid out the rope.

"See/ It's not difficult!" Brendan yelled up when he reached the ground.

He untied the rope, and stepped back.

"My turn!" Wally said, pulling up the rope again.

Following Brendan's instructions, Wally reached the ground safely.

May: "Guys, I don't think…".

"Just get going!" Brendan yelled.

May, with Zeal attached to her shoulder, tied the rope around her middle and began to climb down.

- halfway down -

May: "Guys, something's not right!".

"What?" Wally yelled.

"I didn't tie the rope that good! It's slipping!". Indeed, the rope around May's middle was hanging loose.

Brendan hit his own forehead with the palm of his hand. "Ah, great! May, you just keep climbing down!".

May: "I…can't! I'm slipping!".

Some rocks fell down. May's feet slipped, and now she was hanging onto the rope with both hands.

Wally: "let go of the rolled up part of the rope, and slide down!".

"I'll try…". May threw down the rope wound up around her left arm, and was now hanging on to the rope with only her right hand.

"This f beep rope is tangled around my legs!" May then yelled.

Her left leg was indeed tangled with the rope.

Brendan: "Just slide down!".

"Um…". May carefully let herself slide down. "Stay cool…it's going great…".

Suddenly Zeal, sticking to May's shoulder, started to yell. He had noticed an old acquaintance.

"Incoming!" he yelled, looking at a diving Taillow, which he had seen before on mr. Briney's boat…

"Shoo! Go away! No, don't peck the rope! Bad Taillow! Off! Go away! No, don't!" Zeal yelled as the Taillow started to peck the rope.

Wally: "May, get down now!".

"Why?".

"Coz a berserk Taillow is pecking the rope!".

"Latias!".

"My words exactly!".

May let herself slide down faster.

The Taillow was tearing the rope.

May looked down.

Just a few more metres…

With a loud 'snap', the rope broke.

May (and Zeal) screamed, and fell down.

Brendan estimated the distance, spread his arms out wide and jumped forward to catch May up…

Wally had the same idea, too.

So, Brendan bashed into Wally.

To make the following chaos complete, May landed on top of them.

Don't worry Silcoon-fans, Zeal got caught up by Flame!

"Freakin' Taillow!" Wally yelled. "Alt, attack!" he yelled, looking at Alt, who sat on top of Wally's head.

Alt flew up, and tried to ram the Taillow.

Wally, having stood up, gave more orders: "Alt, Peck!".

Alt hit the Taillow with his beak. Taillow retaliated by using his own (weaker) Peck.

"Growl!".

Alt growled at Taillow, frightening him.

"Now, Astonish!".

After this attack, Taillow backed away.

"Take distance! Fly down!".

Alt made half a backwards somersault, and dived down.

Taillow followed, trying to Peck Alt again.

"Aaand…Sing!".

Alt sang a sweet melody which made Taillow fall asleep.

Altitude: twenty metres above the ground.

Well, at the moment, the altitude began to decrease for Taillow…

The following crash made clear that Taillow had been beaten.

"Let's get going…" Wally said, repositioning Alt on top of his head.

It was eleven o' clock when they (once again) entered Mauville.

"And?" Brendan asked.

"And what?" May replied.

"And where should we head for now? What city?".

"Um…" Wally said, checking his map. "We could go eastwards, to Fortree…".

Brendan: "Is there a Gym there?".

"Yup. And from there, we can head for Lilycove…".

"We'll talk about that when we've reached Fortree! Let's go!" Brendan said, starting to walk.

Turning around, Brendan walked straight into his uncle.

"Soldier Wally reporting, Sir!" Wally immediately yelled, afraid of having to do push-ups again.

"ATTENTION! AND WHERE DO WE THINK WE'RE GOING?" Lieutenant Surge yelled.

Wally: "Sir Lieutenant Surge, Sir! We've just decided to head for Fortree City, Sir!".

"Soldiers…" Surge said, walking in circles, "In New Mauville, a underground city in Route 110, some generators have gone crazy. And that attracted the attention of a whole herd of Electric-type pokémon. The situation is critical! I've sent word to Sergeant Wattson, but it'll take a few weeks before he arrives. Now I was going to ask you soldiers to go in there and shut down the generators. Myself, I can't leave the Gym. It's a difficult mission, with mortal danger, but I'm sure you three can handle it! Objective clear?".

Wally: "Sir! Asking permission to ask a question, Sir!".

"Permission granted, soldier…".

"What is the exact location of New Mauville, Sir?".

"Good question, soldier! New Mauville is located behind Cycling Road, on the other side of the river!".

Brendan: "But Uncle…".

"Lieutenant!".

"But Lieutenant, we don't have any pokémon to cross the river with…".

Surge's grin disappeared.

"You don't?".

"No, Sir.".

"Ah, beep ! That's just beep ! beep beep beepingbeep !".

May: "Can we go now? We still have a long way to go…".

"Dismissed! March!" Surge said, walking back to the Gym with his arms foiled.

Minutes later (May had just set a new record by beating a Aroma Lady in less then a minute. Flame totally incinerated her opponents), Brendan, May and Wally were facing a difficult problem.

"How are we going to cross the water?" May asked.

"Well…" Wally said, holding up Willy's pokéball.

May: "Couldn't you think of that earlier? When Surge asked us to go to New Mauville?".

"Um…".

May: "I say we go back and help Lt. Surge!".

Brendan: "May, keep it down. I'd say we just cross the river and head for Fortree. I mean, surely Surge'll find someone else for the job… and do you really want to go to a underground city filled with wild pokémon?".

Wally: "Brendan's right!".

May: "I admit, New Mauville didn't sound like a nice place…All right, let's just go to the other side…".

Wally: "Go, Willy!".

Willy the Wailmer appeared.

Brendan: "Willy can't carry the three of us, can he?".

"He can't" Wally said, "But you can surf on top of Muddy!".

Muddy: "You kidding?".

Brendan: "Muddy, do you think you can carry me?".

"No I can't!".

"I knew you'd try! Thanks!".

"Ah, Suicune…".

Wally sat down on top of Willy.

"May, you can ride on Willy, too! Just hold tight!".

May sat down behind Wally, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Wally grinned.

He grinned _a lot_.

Brendan undid himself of socks and shoes, and stuffed them inside his bag.

He rolled up his trowser's sleeves and walked into the shallow water.

"Muddy, do you know how to act like a surfboard?".

"No! Do you really think this'll work?".

"I knew you could! Let's go!" Brendan said as he jumped on top of Muddy.

"Full speed ahead, Willy!" Wally said, trying to sound manly.

"Not so fast!" May spoke to Willy, ignoring Wally.

"Yeah Willy, not too fast!" Wally said, choosing May's side.

"Wally, why don't you just watch where we're going?" May snapped at him.

Wally looked forward, and scared stiff.

"Willy, turn left, now! Or else we'll hit a rock!".

Willy made a 90 degree turn.

"Good, Willyiiiiiiaaaaah!". SPLASH

Muddy was now doing the butterfly stroke underwater. On his back, he carried Brendan's two feet.

Muddy presumed that the rest of Brendan's body was above the two feet, out of the water.

Brendan was balancing on top of Muddy.

His backpack was being held in one hand. His other hand was occupied with wild swaying to the left and right.

The difficult part was, that Muddy was taking sharp turns to avoid coalition with rocks laying in the water.

Which made standing up straight quite a challenge.

"Wally? Are you all right?" May yelled.

Wally surfaced. "I'm all right…" he said, his manliness ebbing away.

"Willy, why did you do that?" May asked Willy while reaching down.

Wally grabbed May's hand and climbed up.

"Eww! You're soaked!" May said, trying to keep the distance between her and Wally as big as possible.

Wally began to miss those arms around his middle already.

"Willy, move forward again…".

"Slow down, Muddy!" Brendan yelled.

Muddy, getting bored, was zigzagging at high speed between a bunch of boulders.

"Slow down! SLOW DOWN!". Muddy made a sharp turn.

Brendan began to fall backwards.

"MUDDY! STOP!".

Muddy came to an abrupt halt, launching Brendan forward.

He landed in the sand of the other shore.

Willy moored at the shore, and May jumped off. Wally did so, too, and then returned Willy.

"C..c…cold…" Wally shivered.

"Of course you think it's cold! You've just fallen into the water!" May said, rolling her eyes.

Wally searched his (waterproof) backpack for a towel…

Brendan pushed himself up, and whiped his face with his sleeve.

"Aww Muddy… can't you be a bit more careful in the future…" Brendan said while standing up.

"Do you have all that on camera?".

"Yep!".

"Good! Now, for the interview…three, two, one, action!".

Brendan turned around. "What the…".

"Goood morning, ladies and gentlemen! This is Pokémon News™, and I am Gabby Talkalot! Today, we're visiting Route 118. Here, we managed to record an amazing surfing trip on tape! Next to me, is standing…".

A microphone got pushed underneath Brendan's nose.

"Um…eh…my name is…Brendan…".

"BRENDON! What a heroic name for a heroic person! And, what do you have to say about your achievement?".

"My achievement?".

"Would you look at that! He's modest, too!".

"My achievement…".

"What do you have to say about it?".

"My achievement?".

"Yes, your achievement.".

"My achievement…um…".

"'UM'! A great line, ladies and gentlemen! So that's what you've got to say about your achievement! One last question, what do you feel right now, Brendon?".

"It's Brendan!".

"'It's'! Another great line! Stunningly cool! Well, that's it for today, back to the studio!" the woman holding the microphone said.

"Aaand stop! Got all of that? Let's go then!". With that, Gabby and Ty both turned around and walked away.

Brendan finally snapped out of his stage fright.

"Those two were interviewers? WAIT! STOP!" he yelled as he chased after them.

Then, Brendan turned around and ran back.

"You all right back there?" May yelled. She was sitting next to and staring at the river.

Behind her, Wally was changing his clothes, hiding between some bushes.

"Okay, you can look now!" Wally said.

May didn't move.

"I said, you can look now!".

"But I'm watching the river! Did you see that Seaking there?".

"_You can look now_!".

May turned around.

Wally was now wearing jeans, a black belt with a brown ornament, his Gundam Wing T-shirt, and black sweatbands with a white horizontal stripe around it.

Wally: "So?".

"So what?".

"What do you think?".

"About your outfit?".

"Yes!".

Brendan ran back, returned Muddy and continued to chase the two interviewers. He was just in time to see them ride away inside a van.

"Ah, cr beep !".

Brendan repositioned his feet inside his shoes, and walked down the river, looking for May and Wally.

He found Wally wearing new clothes, and May standing within inches of him, talking and pulling his T-shirt.

(don't think Brendan was thinking funny thoughts, coz he wasn't.)

(okay, maybe he was.)

May: "…and if you'd wear a red shirt underneath, and dye your hair, say, pink…".

Brendan: "What's going on here?".

"Hi Brendan! I'm giving Wally some fashion tips! And if you'd wear your hair pink, you would look like…like…a pink-haired freak!".

Wally: "Thanks, May…".

"No thanks!" May said, turning around and walking away.

"If we want to reach Route 119today, we'd better get going!".

Brendan gave Wally a 'did you think what I think…ah, forget it…'-look, and then began to walk next to May.

Wally returned Willy, and ran after them.

- - - - -

That was yet another looooong chapter.

I noticed that my latest chapters are way longer then my first few…

Oh wel.

Feed me some reviews, and I'll update!

And please, Dark Murderer, let someone else review, too.


	29. Camping by Rivers

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

CHAPTER 29: CAMPING BY THE RIVER

"Hurry up with the tent! It's starting to rain!" May yelled.

"Shut up!" Brendan yelled angrily.

"WHAT!".

"I was talking to Wally, not you, May!" Brendan replied, holding up a stake.

"Wally, keep that pole steady!" Brendan ordered, holding up a hammer.

Wally: "I'm telling you, we should…".

"Lightning!".

Lightning: "What what what?".

Brendan: "If Wally says even one more word, electrify him!".

Wally: "…".

Brendan raised his left hand, with which he was holding the hammer, and struck the stake.

Seconds later, Brendan yelled "Aaaargh!" while sucking his thumb.

You can guess what happened.

It was evening, and May, Brendan and Wally were currently preparing camp alongside a small stream.

Both May and Wally had defeated a Bug Maniac earlier that day (May used Flame. Wally used Alt, until Alt got paralysed. Thunder finished it).

Brendan (using Axl) had beaten a Picnicker.

Right now, Wally and Brendan were putting up a tent, May and Flame were trying to get a fire going, Muddy and Willy were being chased by Axl ("Gimme back me toilet paper!").

Petria, Thunder, Shine and Kirlia were picking berries, and Alt was teaching Zeal the deeper meaning of Japanese J-pop (?).

Lightning was running around the tent-to-be with no apparent meaning at all.

"Let me do this…" Wally said, laying down his tent pole and grabbing the hammer.

Sucking his thumb, Brendan held the tent pole steady and ordered Lightning to STFU.

"Listen, you hold the hammer like this, the stake like that, and then you hit the stake like _this_! Understand?".

"Just get that stake into the ground already…".

"Flame, try Ember again…" May commanded.

"It won't work…" Flame said as she fired a burst of flames at the not yet ignited campfire.

Flame: "See? The wood's too wet.".

May: "Ah, forget it. The wood's too wet, anyway…".

Flame: "Do you ever listen to me?".

It began to rain.

May: "Guys! I'm giving up the campfire! It's no use, everything is soaked!".

Brendan, hammering another stake into the ground, said: "No problem! We'll just crawl inside the tent tonight!".

It began to rain _hard_.

The pokémon all stopped their current business and ran (Flame in front) towards the tent.

May grabbed her own, Brendan and Wally's backpack, and went inside the tent, too.

Now, it was raining_ harder_.

"Are they letting us two get the stakes into the ground while it's raining!" Brendan yelled above the rain's crashing.

"Yeah! You figured that out all by yourself?" Wally replied, hammering a stake like a madman.

Inside, the pokémon were trying to make themselves comfortable.

May had received the basket containing berries from Petria, and was now sorting them.

"We're gonna drown!" Wally muttered, driving the last stake into the ground. "Brendan? Where are you?".

"Inside the tent!" Brendan replied.

Wally dove inside the tent.

"You let me do the stakes?" Wally asked angrily while drying his hair with a towel.

"Well…yeah.".

- ten minutes later -

"Brendan, pass me the cheese, will ya?" May asked.

"Sure." Brendan replied, handing her the cheese.

"What's this?" Shine asked, holding up a Figy berry. "It looks tasty…".

Kirlia: "You better not eat that…".

"Why?" Shine questioned while chewing on the berry.

"Well, because it's horribly spicy.".

Shine began to sweat.

"I see what you mean…".

"What are you doing?" Wally asked Brendan.

"Cleaning my pokéballs, of course." He replied, handkerchief in one hand and Muddy's pokéball in the other.

He was sitting cross-legged in a corner, tending to his pokéballs.

"Aha. Good idea…" Wally murmured, thinking about his own pokéballs…which were dirty and covered with fingerprints…

May: "Does someone have some water left?".

"Nope" both Brendan and Wally replied.

"Then I'll get some myself…" May said, opening the tent's flap, and holding her water bottle outside in the rain.

A now red-coloured Shine was running around her in circles.

"WATER! I NEED WATER!" Shine yelled.

May bent down, and allowed Shine to drink out of the water bottle. Shine chocked.

"Can't see what's Shine's problem with these things…" Flame said, stuffing her mouth full with Figy berries.

"It has got a spicy bite, though…".

"Water…ah, I needed that…" Shine muttered, breathing heavily.

"Raindrops keep falling on my head…" Alt sang, sitting on top of Wally's backpack.

Zeal yawned.

"G'night guys…I'm gonna sleep…" he said, rolling underneath May's sleeping bag.

Half an hour later, May would get the hell scared out of her when she sat down on top of her sleeping bag.

Don't worry, Silcoon-fans, Zeal survived.

- five o'clock in the morning -

Something was nudging Brendan's nose.

He opened his eyes.

Lightning was lying flat on his back, next to Brendan's head.

About every five seconds, he slowly kicked his left rear leg into the air.

Or in Brendan's face.

Pushing Lightning aside, Brendan sat up straight.

He swept the tent's inside with his eyes, and saw that everyone was still sleeping.

Looking forward again, he looked at May, still sleeping peacefully.

Wait a minute…

Brendan blushed, and looked away.

He slid out of his sleeping bag, put on his shoes, and went outside.

Closing the tent's flap behind him, he looked at the star-filled sky.

At least it had stopped raining…

Brendan stretched himself out, and yawned.

"Mew…it's six past five…better get some more sleep…" Brendan thought, looking at his watch.

At that moment, the sunrise began.

The entire forest was covered with a brilliant orange light.

A tiny breeze made the grass sway slowly.

Brendan decided that he had had enough sleep already, and walked down the stream.

He sat down before a big rock, and leaned against it. Brendan pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them.

Letting his head lean against the clod stone, he looked at the sky.

He watched the sunrise.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

- later, inside the tent -

"Wally? WALLY!".

Wally felt a hand pushing his shoulder. "No, I don't like ansjovis…" he murmured, turning around.

"Oh, wake up already!".

He heard May's voice.

What a pleasant dream…wait.

Wally opened his eyes.

"Am I awake?" Wally asked.

"No you're not. Yet.".

"Okay.".

Wally closed his eyes again.

"I said, WAKE UP!".

Something hard hit Wally's leg.

"Okay, okay! I'm awake!" Wally said, sitting up straight, rubbing his leg.

"Have you seen Brendan?" May asked.

"No…why?".

"Coz he isn't here.".

"Hm, maybe he's outside or something?".

"Of course he is, but WHERE?".

Wally grabbed his shoes.

"All right, all right! I'll go and search for him…" he said.

"Good!" May replied, searching her bag for her bandana.

A boy and a girl were sitting next to each other in the tall grass. The wind was blowing hard, making the grass rustle. The sun was setting.

"About tomorrow…" the girl said, "It won't change anything…about the two of us, right?".

"Nah…'course not…" the boy replied, slowly scratching the back of his head.

They looked at the sunset.

The girl leaned against the boy's shoulder.

"Did you see that…" she whispered. "Brendan? BRENDAN!".

Brendan opened his eyes. "Wha?".

May: "Why'd you walk down here? We've put up the tent to sleep in it, not outside of it!".

"What time is it?".

"Eight o'clock! We'd better be going!".

Brendan stood up, swayed, and gained his balance. Rubbing his temples, he walked back to the tent.

"Brendan, you'd better put on your headband!" Wally said.

"Hmm…" Brendan replied. His hair was currently hanging flat down his face.

Grabbing his headband, Brendan tried to comb his hair backwards.

Twenty minutes later, the had packed and began to, once more, walk up Route 119.

- - - - -

That was a short chapter!

You should know, that I had written chapter 1 to 28 in my vacation and during weekends.

On paper. So, now I only typed and corrected them!

I just thought up this chapter in one morning.

A very special morning!

My birthday!

Yes, you heard that!

Today, five November, is my birthday!

I'm sixteen now! Now I can drink beer and watch softp beep !

I'll think up the next chapter soon, so please keep on reviewing!

And Dark Murder (I forgot the third name), read this story's summary. That'll make you happy.

Now I'm gonna update my profile, so check that out if you have the time.


	30. The Weather Institute

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Super Smash Brothers: Melee or Gundam Seed Destiny.

Sorry it took so long, but here's another chapter!

CHAPTER 30: WEATHER INSTITUTE

'Ahuh! You lose!" May yelled.

She had just beaten a Bug Maniac with Shine.

It was eleven o' clock and Wally, May and Brendan were still travelling up Route 119.

"And where should we head for now?" May asked Wally, who was inspecting a map.

"If we just continue to walk _that_ way…", Wally pointed his finger, "we should soon reach the Weather Institute…".

- half an hour later -

"So this is the institute?" Brendan asked, standing underneath a tree. It was raining again.

"It is." May replied.

"Well, shall we enter _before_ we're totally soaked?" Wally sneered.

They ran towards the Institute's door. Fortunately, it wasn't locked.

Inside, Brendan removed his backpack from the top of his head. "At least my hair's still dry…".

May: "What's happening here!".

Brendan: "Hm?".

May: "Didn't you notice?".

Brendan looked around. They were standing in a large hall paved with white tiles.

To the left and to the right were several doors. Some were closed, others were left open.

On the opposite side of the hall, were stairs.

Brendan: "No, I still don't notice anything important!".

Wally: "Look behind you, fool!".

Brendan turned around. Behind him, were three Team Aqua members.

"Where did they come from all of a sudden?".

Instantly, Brendan grabbed a pokéball.

The Aquas threw their pokéballs.

"Thunder!" Wally yelled.

"Go Shine!".

"Lightning!".

"ATTACK!".

The Aquas's team consisted of a Poliwhirl, a Golduck and a Linoone.

Lightning faced the Poliwhirl ("Spark!"), Thunder fought the Golduck ("Thundershock!") and Shine battled the Linoone ("Metal Claw, now!").

"Trike!" Lightning barked as he gave his opponent a fatal electrically-charged tackle.

"Return, Linoone! Go, Tentacruel!" the Aqua yelled, throwing another pokéball.

"Spark again!" Brendan ordered.

Golduck nimbly evaded the Thundershock. "Sonic Boom, Thunder!".

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Thunder answered.

"And now Iron Defence!" May ordered. Shine reduced the damage from Linoone's Tackle that way.

"Finish it! Iron Tail!".

"Thunder!" Brendan yelled. Lightning howled as he fried his opponent with a huge jolt of electricity.

"Return, Tentacruel!" the Aqua said, running away through the door.

"And don't come back!" Brendan yelled after him.

A Aqua came running down the stairs. "Ah, damn! They're here already!" he yelled, running up the stairs again.

"Come back you!" Brendan said as he gave chase.

"Cloyster, Tackle him!" a new Aqua yelled, throwing a pokéball in Brendan's direction.

"Thunder Wave!" Wally ordered, making Thunder paralyse Golduck. "Now Thunderbolt!".

"Cloyster, Ice Beam!". "Lightning, evade and Spark!".

Lightning jumped aside, dodging the freezing ray, and charged towards Cloyster.

"Blizzard!" the Aqua yelled. Cloyster fired a stream of hail at Lightning. Who got frozen solid.

"Return, Linoone!" May's opponent yelled, returning his fainted pokémon. "Kingler! Get him!".

"Shine, Metal Claw!" May yelled. Shine lunged at Kingler.

Golduck got returned. "Crawdaunt!".

"Come on Thunder, Shock Wave!".

Shine tried to Tackle Kingler, but Kingler stepped aside and grabbed Shine with his huge pincer.

"Crab Hammer!" the Aqua ordered.

"Axl! Attack!". "Cloyster, Ice Beam!". "Ah, sh beep !".

"Good one!" Wally grinned as Thunder Shock Waved Crawdaunt.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Wally yelled when his opponent made a run for it.

"Crab Hammer!". The Kingler slammed Shine into the ground. "Again!".

May: "Shine, Iron Defence!".

The Kingler, bashing with his pincer on Shine, almost broke his pincer.

"Shine, Double Edge!".

Axl took a direct hit From the Ice Beam. He flew backwards and crashed into a wall. He was near fainting.

"Double Edge!". Shine flashed, and then lunged at Kingler. Seconds later, Kingler was KO'd.

"Cloyster, another Ice Beam!".

"Axl, try to dodge!". Axl tried to move.

"Crivens! I'm stuck in this wall o' here!". Cloyster inhaled…

"Thunder on Cloyster!". A huge bolt of Lightning struck, and Cloyster fainted.

Brendan: "Wally! Why'd you do that! It's against the rules!" Brendan said as he pulled Axl out of the hole in the wall.

"F beep the rules! We're in the middle of a brawl!" Wally yelled back as he ordered Thunder to dodge an incoming Water Gun.

"Shine, are you all right?" May asked, worried. She lifted Shine up.

He had exhausted himself with the last attack…

"You'd better rest now." May said as she returned Shine to his pokéball.

"Thunder! Kill that Starmie with a Shock Wave!" Wally ordered as Starmie Rapid Spinned thunder.

Turning around, Brendan yelled "May! Can you go look upstairs? I'll guard the door! Go, Muddy! Axl!".

Brendan began to Double battle multiple incoming Aquas.

Wally: "Good idea! I'll take care of these two! Thunder! Kirlia!".

May looked at the two boys, now fiercely battling the Aquas. She reached for a pokéball on her belt, and hesitated.

"You sure you don't need my help?".

As soon as she said the last two words, the entire building shook from the impact of an explosion. On the second floor.

"What the hell is happening up there!" Wally yelled, panicking.

"Muddy Water!" Brendan ordered. "There may be injured people upstairs!".

May was already running up the stairs.

"Okay Wally! Now it's just the two of us and a bunch of Aquas! Axl, Headbutt!". "Aye!".

May ran up the stairs. What could've caused and explosion like that…

When she reached the second floor, not encountering any Aquas on the way there, she held still.

Half a second later, she threw herself on the ground.

"Catastrophe, use Hyper Beam!". "Gyarados, Hyper Beam!".

Two searing beams of energy connected, and caused another explosion.

May lifted her head up and looked around.

Broken pillars, cracked walls, ravaged desks… what was going on here?".

"Are you all right?" May heard a voice say. Someone pulled her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Wait, who are you?" May asked.

May was looking at a girl, about 17 years from the looks of her. She had long, blond hair which reached her shoulders, and blue eyes.

She wore a pink sleeveless vest, a white skirt, and long white boots, reaching over her knees.

"Catastrophe, Thunderbolt!" she ordered her… Nidoqueen..?

- downstairs -

"Muddy, Surf!" Brendan ordered, hitting the Quagsire hard. "Axl, Hydro Pump!".

"Thunder, return!" Wally said, returning his fainted Magnemite. "Alt! Sing!".

- upstairs again -

"Finish it! Mega Kick!". The Nidoqueen kicked the Gyarados with tremendous force, KO-ing him. Her opponent (an Aqua, of course) made a run for it.

"What happened here?" a voice said from the other side of the room. Two Aquas came running through a door, towards May. One seemed to be a woman…

"You!" the female Aqua yelled to her companion, "Take care of the girl in pink! I'll fight the other one!".

"Yes Admin!" the other Aqua replied.

"Go Flame!" May yelled, throwing her pokéball. "Double Battle?" she then asked the girl in pink.

"Sure." She replied.

At that moment, the Aqua Admin's Pidgeotto whipped up a Razor Wind, sending it towards Flame.

Flame dodged the attack by rolling aside, but the Razor Wind itself crashed into a pillar.

The pillar broke, and as a result the ceiling partly collapsed.

May held her arms in front of her face in a protective manner, since dust and rubbish got flung in all directions.

After the dust cleared, May saw that the other side of the room, containing a Aqua and the girl in pink, was blocked off by huge chunks of crashed down ceiling.

"So far for the Double Battle…" May whispered, turning her head towards the Aqua Admin.

Immediately, they both gave orders. "Wing Attack!". "Flamethrower!".

Pidgeotto dodged the flame stream, and shot forward towards Flame…

- downstairs -

"Muddy, dodge the Mega Drain!" Brendan yelled, seconds before Ludicolo latched onto Muddy and drained his HP…

"Muddy! Return! Axl, Bite!".

"Alt, Peck! Yeah! Kirlia, follow Alt's attack up with a Psybeam!".

- upstairs -

"Flame, make a backflip!".

Flame dodged the incoming Pidgeotto, and tried to Tackle him.

"Grab his beak!" May ordered. Flame closed her fingers around Pidgeotto's sharp pointed beak, and…

"Flamethrower!".

"Whirlwind!".

Before Flame could attack, she was blown away by a huge gust of wind.

Flame got returned, and another pokéball fell from May's belt. Zeal appeared.

"Pidgeotto, Peck!" the Admin ordered, grinning.

"Harden, Zeal!" May ordered. By hardening, Zeal reduced the damage from the Peck attack, but he still got thrown backwards.

"Steel Wing!". Pidgeotto dove towards Zeal.

"Roll aside!". Zeal rolled aside, making Pidgeotto crash into the ground. "Now ram him!".

Zeal charged towards Pidgeotto, doing some sort of Rollout.

"Razor Wind!". Blades of air appeared around Pidgeotto, slicing Zeal.

"Again Razor Wind!". The Admin ordered.

Zeal: "You don't have the GUTS to do that!".

- downstairs -

"Headbutt, again!". "Gree, Man!". BAM. Slowbro got KO'd.

"Damn, we're losing! Kirlia! Psychic!".

"MUTHA beep ING HELL YEAH!" Kirlia yelled as he mentally lifted the KO'd Slowbro and used him as a mallet.

Alt: "Kirl, watch it! You're pushing the PG rate!".

- upstairs -

"Well, maybe you _do_ have the guts to do that…" Zeal said as he got thrown through a glass window. Glass shards flew in every direction.

"That's one down!" the Admin laughed.

Something flashed.

"Damn!" May swore, as she ran towards the broken window to return Zeal.

"Zeal! Where are you?".

"I'm up here.".

"Zeal! You evolved.".

Firing a Psybeam, Zeal blasted through the wall and entered the building again.

"Now, where were we!" a very angry Beautifly yelled.

"Pidgeotto, Sky Attack!".

"Zeal, Sleep Powder!". Before Pidgeotto could charge his he got exposed to the sleep-inducting powder.

"Pidgeott, return! I'll not be beaten that easily! Go, Poliwrath and Sealo!".

The two Water-types faced Zeal.

"Double Water Gun!".

"You can't do that! It's against the rules!" May yelled as Zeal got hit.

May reached for a pokéball. "Go, Petr-".

The broken pillar got blown apart. Throught the newly created hole, a Butterfree flew.

And the girl in pink, too.

"Damn you Aquas! Two on one?" the girl in pink yelled. She then turned her attention to May.

"Is your Beautifly all right? I'll help! Let's make this a Double Battle!".

- downstairs -

"We can't hold this much longer! Alt! Sing the secret weapon!".

Alt: "No! It's too dangerous!".

"We've got no other choice! Do it!".

Alt swallowed, and landed on the ground.

"Axl, Bite!". Axl bit his opponent, a Jynx, and immediately rammed a Wartortle afterwards.

Kirlia: "Three, two, one, Alt, go!".

Out of nowhere, Alt pulled blackglasses.

"Ohh, I'm bad…". Alt whispered as he began to moonwalk.

- upstairs -

"Zeal!". "Kite!". "Finish it! Stun Spore!".

The two Bug pokémon both unleashed heaps of paralysing dust, rendering their opponents unable to move.

"Silver Wind!".

Both Zeal and Kite blasted their foes with a tearing storm of silver gusts, KO-ing them.

"No! Return, Poliwrath and Sealo!" the Admin said, returning her pokémon.

"This isn't over yet!" she added, escaping through a window with a ladder.

Seconds after the Admin was gone, the girl in pink walked over to a (undamaged) computer.

She booted the thing up, and opened the CD drive.

"Do you know if anyone is down there?" she asked, nudging her head in the staircase's direction.

"Yeah, some friends of mine. But they can take care of themselves. ".

"Good.".

"What's your name, by the way?".

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine.".

"I'm May.".

"My name is…Nina. Pleased to meet you.".

- downstairs -

Alt stopped. The hall was, to put it simple, a massacre.

Alt pulled off his blackglasses. "Good Lugia, what have I done…" he whispered.

Axl poked the limb body of a Tentacruel. "Aye, that's one dang'rous song you have there!".

Kirlia: "Next time, skip the grab-the-thing-between-the-legs action. It's horrible.".

- upstairs -

Nina's fingers flew over the keyboard.

"Civilians: all rescued. Injuries: zero. Status of subject: good. Status of building: couldn't be worse.".

May: "What are you doing?".

Nina: "Nothing…".

Zeal: "Hey, you! You're looking good, hon'!".

Kite (Butterfree): "Thanks, sweetheart!".

Zeal: "Wanna go out tonight?".

May: "You're not doing nothing!".

Nina's fingers typed '.the.red'… a second later, she hit the 'send' button.

Nina: "Now I'm doing nothing.".

Zeal: "Wanna go out tonight?".

Kite: "Sure, babe!".

Zeal: "BABE? I thought you were…".

Kite: "Um… I'm a 'he', and aren't you a 'she'…?'.

Zeal: "Well…I'm a 'he', too…'.

Kite: "Celebii…".

Nina: "Well, I must be going now. Be seeing you.".

With that, she walked over to the large, broken window. "Kite, come here!".

A really ashamed Butterfree followed her.

May: "Wait! You didn't even tell me what you were doing here!".

But Nina was gone already. She jumped through the window.

A pokémon cry could be heard, a supersonic bang, and then nothing.

When May came walking down the stairs, she saw the carnage on the ground floor.

"What has happened here…".

Wally: "Well, Alt used his secret weapon…".

- five minutes later -

"So… that's what happened! It's horrible! Promise me you'll never use it again…".

- another two minutes later -

Brendan: "Shall we be going? We might reach Fortree City today if we hurry.".

Wally: "Good idea. Let's go.".

- - - - -

Again, my apologies for the long time it took to update.

But it was my birthday, and…

I've been playing too much Advance Wars: Dual Strike and I've been watching too much Gundam Seed Destiny…

AND MY HOMEWORK WAS JUST TOO MUCH TO HANDLE!

This weekend, I'm going with some friends to Amsterdam!

There, the Gameplay (Holland's yearly gaming event) is being held!

I'm gonna participate in the Super Smash Brothers: Melee contest, and I'm gonna lose! Ain't that great?

Anyway, please review!

Bye!


	31. Camping by Rivers again!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own Super Smash Brothers: Melee

I love it when a fanfiction plan comes together…

Btw, I didn't compete in the SSB:M tournament, since only a certain amount of people could compete. I arrived there a little too late…

Here's another chapter for the hungry fanfic-fans.

CHAPTER 31: CAMPING BY THE RIVER AGAIN

- inside Team Aqua's Secret Hideout -

Aqua: "Boss, we've found the missing agents assigned to the Weather Institute job!".

Archie: "Good! Did they manage to capture Castform?".

Aqua: "No, Sir. They were dead when we found them.".

Archie: "What!".

Aqua: "They had been torn apart inside the Weather Institute's main hall. Limbs were missing, dead pokémon, cracked skulls…one of our agents even found the words 'SC0TL&ND 4 EV&H' written on one of the corpses…".

"This is a foul deed. Beyond foul. Do we know the names of these criminals?".

"Yes, Sir. We managed to get hold of a surveillance video of the first floor. Look, I've got the photographs here, Sir…".

"Hm… so those killers were nothing but two boys and a girl? Kids?".

"Yes, Sir.".

"Suicune… Did you find out how they managed to kill half a squadron of our soldiers?".

"No, Sir. The last we know was that the green haired kid ordered his Swablu to do something. Seconds later the surveillance camera got hit by a Slowbro.".

"One of our own Slowbros?".

"Yes, Sir. The enemy Kirlia used him as a mallet, and…".

"I see. Send another squadron to the Weather Institute, and search for anything that could teach us what weapons those kids used.".

"Sir.".

"Dismissed.".

"Yes, Sir!".

"Oh, and one more thing…".

"Sir?".

"I want a bounty on the heads of those three kids. A big one.".

"Sir. Should I inform the Red about them?".

"Of course.".

"Yes, Sir!".

- somewhere on Route 119 -

Our three favourite trainers were preparing camp. It was getting dark, and May was bushy cooking.

Brendan and Wally were doing a fun pokémon battle down the river. Muddy vs. Willy.

"Muddy, Tackle!".

"Willy, dodge and use Water Gun!".

"Evade by Diving!".

"You too, Willy!".

The two Water-types both dove and continued their battle underwater.

Wally turned around, and said "May, you sure you don't need help with cooking? I know you wanted to do this, but…".

May angrily replied "Of course not! I know how to cook!".

Brendan: "Well, what you're cooking does smell a bit burned…".

May: "Brendan, you just shut up and continue that battle of yours!".

"But…".

"No buts!".

"I mean…".

"Shut your yap!".

Wally: "Brendan is trying to say that our meal is going up in flames!".

"Wha…".

"See?".

"OMFG!".

- up in a tree nearby -

Flame: "I smell something nice…".

Zeal: "I smell something burning.".

Flame: "That's what I mean! Doesn't it smell tasty?".

Petria: "Not…quite…".

- down by the river -

Alt: "I wonder what we're gonna eat for dinner…".

Thunder: "PERCENTAGE CHANCE OF HAVING NORMAL POKÉMON FOOD FOR DINNER: 100".

Kirlia: "I don't like the standard pokémon food. It makes me fat.".

Shine: "Riiight…".

By now, Brendan and Wally had continued their battle, while May was trying to extinguish their evening meal.

"Willy, Water Pulse!".

The two pokémon were now fighting in the stream, underwater.

This enabled Wally's Wailmer to blast the surrounding water with a supersonic pulse.

Wally: "Now I've got you!".

The supersonic blasts of water shot in every direction, including Muddy's.

"Evade! Underwater Dig!".

In a flash, Muddy shot down towards the bottom of the small stream.

With his powerful arms, Muddy swept the shingle on the bottom aside, and buried himself.

Brendan: "Now you can't hit Muddy!".

Indeed, the Water Pulse splashed against the shore and the shingle on the bottom of the stream, but it didn't hit Muddy.

"You just wait and see…" Wally said.

At that particular moment, a burst of flames emitted from the campfire.

May: "Damn!".

Brendan: "What the…".

The evening meal went up in flames, again.

Brendan: "Axl! Where are you! You've got to use Hydro Pump!".

- from behind some bushes -

Axl: "Aye! I'm bushy!".

"Use Hydro Pump on the campfire!".

"I said I'm bushy, ye ken?" Axl yelled, sounding rather…well, bushy.

"Axl, what are you doing back there! We've got a emergency here!".

"An' I've got me own emergency over here! There ain't no toilet paper!".

May: "Things are burning to a crisp here! Help!".

Brendan: "Axl!".

Axl: "I'm telling you SOMEONE STOLE THE TOILET PAPER!".

May: "The grass has caught flame!".

Brendan: "AXL!".

Axl: "I'M BUSHY!".

Lightning: "I'VE GOT TO GO, TOO!".

And with that Lightning, our hero, ran towards the fire, stood still, and lifted a hind leg.

- half an hour later -

Brendan: "Hey May, this stuff actually tastes good!".

May: "What else did you expect?".

Brendan: "Well…".

May: "Okay, I admit, Wally helped me a bit…".

Wally: (face is beaming)

Brendan: "By the way, Wally, you really beep ed me when you ordered Willy to use Water Spout while I was giving Axl orders…".

Muddy: "Yeah! That wasn't fair! I'm gonna feel that next morning!".

Wally: "Well, we _were_ still fighting, regardless of what happened over here…".

"Thank Latias Lighting made it in..um…time…" May said, giving Lighting an odd look.

Brendan, also looking at Lightning, said "Good…job, I guess, Lightning…".

- another half hour later -

May and Brendan were washing the dishes by the river. In order to make the washing up a bit more fun, they were taling about the Water pokémon swimming by.

"There's another Magikarp…" Brendan said as he handed May a washed-up plate.

"And there is a Goldeen…" May said, wiping the plate dry.

"Ow, a Carvanha!". Brendan pointed his finger towards the other shore.

"Yeah, I see it. Just below the cane over there…" May replied, putting the dried plate down. "What's that one?".

Brendan handed May a spoon as he said "I think that's a Feebas. You know, the one that evolves into Milotic.".

"Really? Cool! I might as well catch it!".

May laid down the spoon.

"Go, Petria!".

The Ground and Dragon-type pokémon appeared, hovering just above the water.

Most of the fish-like pokémon fled. Including the Feebas.

"Don't let him get away! Dragonbreath!".

The following blast of breath hurled at Feebas not only did huge damage, but also paralysed him.

"He's near fainting! Now Sand Tomb!".

The sand shot at Feebas did minimal damage, bringing Feebas to the edge of fainting.

"Come on, pokéball!" May yelled as she threw the red/white-coloured sphere.

Feebas, unable to offer any resistance, got caught.

"Yay! I caught a Feebas, and…".

"May, I don't like to interrupt your victory pose, but your pokéball is floating away." Brendan said, seeing the pokéball containing Feebas float down the river.

"Petria, retrieve the pokéball!" May ordered.

By now, the pokéball had got stuck in some cane by the river's side.

Petria, not being able to fly through the thick cane, kept hovering in front of it.

Brendan: "Now what?".

May did a few steps forward. "Give me your hand.".

Brendan: "Eh?".

"Give me your hand for a sec. If I bend forwards, I might just be able to reach the pokéball!".

Brendan and May clasped their hands together.

May the leaned forward towards the pokéball, making sure that Brendan could still keep her from falling.

She was now partly hanging above the water.

"I can't reach it. You'll have to let me go down a little bit more…".

Brendan moved his feet forward, and bent through his knees.

He then stretched out his arm supporting May, making May lean down even more.

"Just a few more inches…I can almost reach it…almost…alm…yeah!".

May reached, out, and managed to grab the pokéball.

But as she did that, Brendan lost his balance.

"Whoa!".

Brendan reacted immediately. He grabbed May around the waist and leaned back, making both of them fall backwards.

BAM

May: "Whew, that was close…I think I'll call this Feebas Miles!".

Now May realised that she was lying on top of Brendan.

"Um…".

"Um…".

"…".

"…".

"Could you please get off me?".

"Oh, sure…".

- somewhere entirely else -

The pokégear stroke against the blonde hair.

"You understand?" the voice from the other side of the line said.

"Yeah, I understand. Signing out.".

The person holding the pokégear kept listening to the 'beep' sound for a few more seconds, before putting the device away.

A grin appeared on the person's lips.

"We've got some work to do." The lips spoke.

"Nido?" the pokémon sitting next to the person replied.

- back at the camp, a few hours later -

Axl: "Ev'ryone's asleep, but I still haven't got me toilet paper! Although I don't really need it an'more…

It ain't sticky anymore…

…

Ach, Crivens! It's still sticky and gooey and… ach, Crivens!".


	32. Christmas!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

Sorry for not updating for so long… I am sorry…

This here is my Christmas present to you! Enjoy and… R&R!

CHAPTER 32: CHRISTMAS!

Wally: "So… this is Fortree, right?".

Brendan: "Yup.".

May: "Guess so.".

Wally: "Cool.".

Our three heroes were standing between some trees, looking at a village in…well, a village in…a village…eh… some trees with houses in them, okay?

B: "And where could the Gym be?".

M: "Maybe it's that large building over there, the one on the ground and with the words 'Gym' all over it?".

B: "Maybe…".

Wally started to walk towards a large, white, red-roofed building near the Gym.

"Before we head for the Gym, could we please visit the Pokémon Centre? Kirlia's condition's pretty bad. The fight with Dustox didn't went that well…".

B: "Good idea. Axl needs to be tended to, too.".

Axl: "Aye!".

B: "Maybe Headbutting a Onix wasn't such a good idea after all.".

Axl: "Aye, but I managed to beat him after all, didn't I?".

B: "Yeah, but that was because you hit him in the…".

M: "Hm?".

B: "…never mind. I didn't know Onix had such…things. Axl, be happy the foe wasn't female.".

- a bit later -

While the nurses were tending to their pokémon, Brendan, May and Wally sat down on the couch. Brendan wondered why a tree was standing in the middle of the Pokémon Centre. May was re-ordering her bag.

W: "Hey guys! Check this out!".

B: "What?".

W: "Here, look at the TV screen! Someone has discovered a new pokémon!".

M: "Really?".

W: "Yeah, it's probably a Water Type, it's about five to eight metres long, and…".

B: "And?".

W: "…it lives in Scotland, only. Loch Ness.".

B: "Scotland? Loch Ness? Honestly…".

- in another room of the same Pokémon Centre -

Axl, with an eerie voice: "Someone is talking about Scotland…I can feel it…I can smell it…".

Flame: "No, you're smelling something different. Looks like you forgot to use toilet paper…".

- main hall again -

B: "They _presume_ it's a Water Type, right? Well, it's not. Everyone knows it's just a Dragonair.".

W: "Really?".

B: "Ahuh, and…".

"Shut up, both of you. Would you look at this…" May said as she looked at the TV screen.

"This is Pokémon News" a woman, dressed in a red Santa Clause outfit with pokéballs printed on them, said.

Brendan, May and Wally all looked at the screen, where numerous pictures were shown.

"Gangfights between Aquas and Magmas, Slowpoke writes his own name, unknown flying pokémon spotted, and much more in the coming half hour…".

B: "Writing Slowpokes? Dang, the world _is_ crazy…".

M: "Shht! Look!".

"Good morning everyone! I'm Gabby Talkalot and this is Pokémon News! Today, we've got a very special item for you…".

Next to the woman, a picture of Brendan and Muddy was shown.

M and W: "WTF!".

B: "OMG…".

M and W: "LOL!".

TV: "The pokémon and his trainer managed to pull off some very impressive manoeuvring when crossing this river. Luckily for us, we managed to film the stunting!".

Now, the TV screen displayed Brendan, balancing on top of Muddy, who was swimming.

And oh yeah, they were moving forward at 50 miles per hour.

The Muddy on the TV screen made a sharp 90 degree turn, and continued his way.

Brendan: "Damn, how'd they manage to get all of that on tape?".

May, laughing: "You look like you could fall of any moment there!".

Brendan: "Actually, I did…".

The TV screen showed Brendan, flying forward through the air, and landing flat on his face in the sand.

Wally, from somewhere on the floor: "ROFL!".

Brendan: "Yes you are.".

May: "Brendan, you're famous!".

Brendan: "Guess so. But I don't think I like it.".

TV: "This trainer's name is Brendon, and do you know what he said when we asked him about his achievement? He said 'um'!".

M: "Huh?".

B: "Um…".

TV: "But that's not all! When we asked how he felt, he answered with 'it's'! Now doesn't that describe his feelings well?".

Wally had some trouble breathing when he heared this.

M: "Wally, you'll laugh yourself to death like this!".

W: "…". (face turns blue)

M: "Wait, he's stopped breathing! We've got to do something!".

B: "Um…like..?".

M: "Mouth-to-mouth or something, I guess!".

B: "Wait, you're asking ME to…".

M: "…".

B: "…".

M: "…".

B: "…".

W: "…". (stops moving)

M: "Eh, Wally?". (pokes his arm)

No response.

M: "I think we should hurry, I'll…".

Wally, eyes still closed, suppressed a grin.

B: "Wait, we're in a hospital for Ho-oh's sake! NURSE!".

Upon hearing Brendan's cry, a fat, round female nurse with…a figure beyond description threw herself on Wally and gave him mouth-to-mouth.

After a few minutes of strange noises, a horrified Brendan and May, and a _very_ traumatic experience for Wally, he started to breathe again.

"Merry Christmas, dear!" the nurse said, looking up at the decorated ceiling where some mistletoe was hanging.

She kissed Wally on both cheeks, and then made her leave.

"Wally, are you all right?" May asked, kneeling next to him.

B: "Dude, you've just been…".

- 5 minutes later -

May, Wally and Brendan had just retrieved their pokémon. They went outside the Pokémon Centre.

"I think we're forgetting something." Brendan murmured as they walked towards the Gym.

"And you can't remember what?" May asked.

"Nope." Brendan replied as he saw a flying Standler pass by.

W: "I think I know what you think we don't know.".

B: "What?".

"It's Christmas!" Wally replied with a huge grin, pointing his finger at a note on the Gym's door.

'GYM CLOSED DUE TO CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY' the note said.

M: "Ah, so that's why that funny old man back there wore a red outfit and a red hat! And…".

B: "That explains the tree inside the Pokémon Centre! And all those flying Standler up there!".

"Not to mention the nurse at the Centre who wished me a merry Christmas after she…" Wally added.

B: "But how could forget about this? I mean, you don't _forget_ about Christmas, do you?".

M: "Yeah, something's not right here…".

W: "Hm, I wonder…".

Voice from above: "I AM THE WRITER OF THIS FANFIC, AND I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR FORGETTING ABOUT CHRISTMAS. TO PUT IT SIMPLE, I'M A LAZY IDIOT WHO KEPT FORGETTING TO WRITE CHAPTERS. AND NOW IT'S CHRISTMAS AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE THIS A NICE CHRISTMAS CHAPTER. OKAY?".

W: "Well, that explains a lot. And…what are we going to do now?".

M: "We could go back to the Pokémon Centre. I bet there are other trainers celebrating Christmas there!".

B: "Good idea. Let's do that.".

"Fine with me." Wally said, as they walked towards the Pokémon Centre once more.

- much later -

Muddy: "Well, this is cool right?".

Flame: "You bet it is!".

Most of the pokémon were sitting in a circle, eating and talking. The group consisted of not only our three trainer's pokémon, but also some other pokémon of other trainers.

"Pass me the gravy, will you?" a Meditite asked Flame.

"Sure." Flame replied, handing him the gravy.

Suddenly, a loud screeching sound could be heard.

"Is this thing on?" Alt asked through the speakers.

"It is? Thanks. Well, what shall we do first? Rudolph the red-nosed Standler? No? Suit yourself…" Alt said as he began to sing Jingle Bells.

"It ain't Christmas with good Christmas music, right?" Kirlia said.

"Yup." The Kadabra sitting next to him answered.

Kirlia: "Okay, now it's my turn to start the tic-tac-toe game…".

"…and that's how I evolved into a Silcoon." Zeal said, sitting in the Christmas tree next to a female Dustox.

The Dustox, looking at the tree's decorations, replied.

"That's a nice story…" she said, moving closer to Zeal.

Zeal:

"Some things never change, right?" Petria asked.

"Right." Shine replied.

Thunder: "AFFIRMATIVE".

Petria, Shine and Thunder were looking at Lightining, who was hiding behind a chair's leg and was constantly watching the floor beneath some mistletoe hanging onto the ceiling.

Every time a female pokémon passed underneath it, he would charge forward, and…get smacked in the face.

"Never…" Petria said, shaking her head as Lightning got Doubleslapped by a Jigglypuff.

- nearby, at a long, large table -

W: "Dang, what did they put into this stew? It's delicious!".

M: "Wally, please don't eat too much…".

B: "I bet you're gonna throw up if you carry on like this!".

W: "Ah, come on! It's Christmas. Stop complaining you two!".

Razor: "Yeah, stop complaining and hand me the potatoes!".

B: "Huh? What are you doing here?".

R: "Eating. It's free and some of the nurses are very…".

Nina: "Razor! Stop acting like a perv!".

R: "No, I didn't mean to…".

M: "Nina? What in Latias's name are you doing here?".

N: "Eating. It's free and I'm sitting next to a very handsome…".

R: "Er-hem!".

N: "I was talking about you, hon'.".

R: "Okay, that's cool!".

W: "Any turkey left?".

"Only at the other end of the table." Razor replied, nodding.

"Then I'll go and get some." Wally said while standing up.

"So, what's your business in Fortree?" Nina asked.

"May and I were going to challenge this town's Gym Leader, but it seems like the Gym's closed.".

"You two are both taking the Pokémon League Challenge?" Razor asked.

"Yup." Brendan replied.

N: "Ah, just like…ah, nothing. And you two are a couple?".

B: "Wha?".

M: "Eh…".

B: "Uh…".

M: "We're just…".

B: "Friends!".

M: "Yeah, friends!".

N: "Aha. Just like Razor and I are friends, right?".

R: "You said it!".

- other side of the table -

W: "Turkey…turkey…where's the turkey…".

Nurse: "Here you go.".

"Thanks!" Wally said, taking the plate with turkey form a nurse.

On his way back, Wally stopped. Did he just…

SOMEONE SLAPPED HIS BUTT!

Looking back, Wally almost got a heart attack. Standing in front of him was… the nurse from that morning.

She blinked.

Two and a half second later, Wally was sitting on his chair again, consuming large amounts of turkey.

His face had a nice light red colour.

- near the Christmas tree -

Muddy: "What's the problem with this fireplace?".

Petria: "What's the problem?".

Muddy: "The fireplace keeps coughing up ashes 'n stuff.".

Shine: "And you don't know why?".

Muddy: "Nope. Maybe something's stuck up there…".

From the fireplace: "Ho ho ho!".

Petria: "Hey!".

"Ho ho ho!".

Muddy: "Did you hear that?".

Shine: "It's Santa!".

"Ho ho ho, ach, crivens! I'm stuck!".

- at the table -

The five trainers were now eating the dessert, Christmas pudding.

May: "I almost forgot to ask, what are _you_ two doing here?".

R: "Us two?".

M: "Yeah, you two!".

N: "Um…well…".

R: "We ain't gonna tell you that for the time being. Hey look, mistletoe!".

B: "Changing subjects, are we?".

R: "Yes we are.".

- at the Christmas tree -

"Crivens! This…stupid…suit…ach, me beard is killin' me!".

Alt: "Axl, do you need help up there?".

"I'm not Axl! Me name is Santa Clauset! Wait… I mean Santa Clause! An' I'm stuck! Crivens!".

"All right, all right…" Alt said, as he flew up, grabbed _Santa's_ jacket, and pulled.

In the following seconds, a lot of things happened.

Firstly, Alt flew down. Secondly, Axl crashed down faster. Thirdly, Wally almost choked after accidentally swallowing a wishbone. But that hasn't got anything to do with the current situation.

Upon landing (on top of Alt), Santa stepped forward.

"Ho ho ho!" he said, while lifting a huge bag from his back.

"Santa?" a young Elekid asked, "Why did your beard fall off? And why is your face blue?".

"Me beard? Ach, crivens!".

By now, Zeal and the female Dustox had taken over Alt's singing job.

Zeal: "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart…".

Dustox: "But the very next day, you give it away…".

"Hey you!" Lightning yelled to a (male) Jolteon sitting on the ground next to Razor.

Razor: "Good Jolt…".

Lightning: "I said, HEY YOU!".

"Me?" the Jolteon asked.

"Yeah, you. How did you do that, with the mistletoe and that hot Raichu?".

Jolteon: "That's a secret Casanova trick!".

Lighting: "Teach me!".

"Men…" Flame whispered, rolling her eyes.

- even later -

The Christmas party was coming to an end .

Muddy and a, presumably, drunken Axl were sitting underneath the Christmas tree, singing.

Zeal was trying to get Dustox underneath that mistletoe. But it wasn't going well.

Kirlia had won the tic-tac-toe challenge from Kadabra after 65 draws, and Shine had accidentally been mistaken for a Christmas decoration. He was now hanging in the Christmas tree. Calling for help didn't seem to work.

May and Brendan were bringing the plates back to the kitchen, while Wally picked up the room key.

"Merry Christmas!" Razor yelled from the door as he and Nina made their leave.

"Guys, I've got ourselves a room!" Wally said, walking up the stairs.

May: "Good! We'll just finish cleaning here and then we'll go upstairs, too. What's our room number?".

Wally: "21".

May: "Thanks.".

After bringing the plates back, and retrieving their pokémon, May and Brendan both went upstairs.

Upstairs, the hall was blocked off by a huge Christmas tree.

"We'd better go round the back, I guess." Brendan said, walking another hallway.

"21, was it?" May asked as she followed him.

Now, they were walking through a hall with large open windows to the left. The moon could clearly be seen from here.

Halfway down the hallway, May stopped.

"'sup?" Brendan asked.

"Nothing. I just thought I…haven't wished you a Merry Christmas yet.".

"Ah, that? Okay, I forgot about that, too." Brendan said as he walked towards May.

May: "Did you see it?".

Brendan: "See what?"

May: "Above us…".

Brendan: "Uh…".

Brendan looked up. Mistletoe. Damn.

Now Brendan noticed how close to each other they were standing.

"Mistletoe? Eh, now that you mention it…".

May moved her head forward.

Brendan stopped talking.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her.

You can guess what's happening.

"Merry Christmas, Brendan!".

"Merry Christmas, May…".

- - - - -

Merry Christmas, and…

REVIEW! I'VE ALREADY GOT THE NEXT CHAPTER ON PAPER, SO MAKE ME TYPE IT!

REVIEW!


	33. Flyers Gonna Fly

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nor do I own Godsmack.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 33: FLYERS GONNA FLY

"Morning."

"Good Morning."

"Wha?"

It was eight o'clock in the morning, and about time that Brendan, May and Wally stood up.

B: "What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock! Rise and shine!" May said while she opened the curtains. Suddenly, the chamber was filled with light.

"I'd rather be kept in the dark for a little longer…" Brendan murmured, hiding his head underneath his pillow.

"Wz, I tnk t fm f f ofe afain." Wally said, brushing his teeth.

M: "Repeat that in proper English, please."

Wally walked towards the window and nodded in the direction of the Gym. He removed the toothbrush form his mouth.

"Guys, I think the Gym is open again.

"When May walked over to the window, she saw a slim woman with blue hair search for her keys and open the Gym's door.

M: "Great. I'll just go and shower for a bit, and then we can go to the Gym."

With that, she grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room.

"Need…sleep." Brendan murmured from underneath his pillow.

W: "Didn't know they have a radio here…"

B: "Hm?"

Wally fiddled a bit with the radio on the desk.

B: "Wally, I'm trying to sleep here!"

W: "Ah, that should do it!"

And with that, he pressed a button. Seconds later, loud Godsmack music filled the room. Another second later, Brendan's pillow landed in Wally's face. Brendan's shoe soon followed.

B: "FOR LUGIA'S SAKE, TURN OFF THE BLOODY RADIO!"

Brendan reached out, and grabbed the nearest thing he could throw at Wally. Axl's pokéball.

A few headbutts, yelling and Scottish swearing later, silence returned to the chamber.

Great, Brendan thought, now I've got to pay up for that radio…

Later, after they left the Pokécentre, May, Brendan and Wally were standing in front of Fortree's Gym.

"Well? Are we going to keep standing here or what?" May asked while she opened the door.

B: "If we beat the Gym Leader here quickly, we can start walking towards Lilycove today."

- a few minutes later -

The Gym was large. Very large. The walls all had a vivid green colour, and the ceiling was way higher than normal.

"Hello, I am Winona and welcome to my Gym. You'll have to best me if you want the Feather Badge. Which of you will go first?"

B: "You wanna go first, May?"

M: "Nah, you go first if you want to."

B: "Okay."

Brendan faced the Gym Leader first.

"We'll do a two-on-two match! Choose your first pokémon!"

Flying Types, eh? Brendan thought.

"Go, Lightning!" he then yelled, throwing a pokéball.

"Pelliper!" Winona yelled at the exact same moment.

"Great, we've got an advantage! Lightning, Thunderbolt!"

"Pelliper, dodge and Ice Beam!"

Lightning fired a huge jolt of electricity at Pelliper, who easily evaded the attack by flying upwards.

From there, he fired a stream of ice at Lightning.

"Dodge by jumping forward!

"The dog-like pokémon gave his muscles a jolt and sped forward, the Ice Beam passing over him.

"Now Shock Wave!"

Lightning-fast electric bursts of energy flew in Pelliper's direction.

"Dive down!" Winona yelled, but Pelliper already got hit, heavily damaging him.

While Pelliper fell downwards, Brendan ordered "Spark!"

The Electric Type sped forward, his fur blistering with static electricity.

"Pelliper, Aerial Ace!"

At the moment Lightning jumped to deliver the fatal attack, Pelliper moved blindingly fast and dodged the blow. He was now floating behind Lighting, who was still in the air.

"Ice Beam!" the Gym Leader Yelled.

The ice stream struck Lightning in the back, throwing him against the wall.

"Surf!" Winona ordered.

Pelliper blasted Lightning, who was lying on the floor, with a huge tidal wave.

"I'm gonna win this! Hydro-"

"You really think that?" Brendan asked.

"Of course! I've got an advantage now, and…"

"Forget it. I'm the one with an advantage.

"What?"

Brendan grinned, and raised his right arm into the air.

"This whole place is soaked after that Surf move! Lightning, THUNDER!"

Lightning, who had got back on his feet during the talking, howled "Whosyourdaddy?" and then blasted the entire room with an astonishing amount of electricity.

Pelliper crashed down, and laid still.

"Pelliper, return! Go, Skarmory!" Winona yelled as she threw another pokéball.

The Flying and Steel-Type immediately spread his wings and flew upwards.

B: "Lightning, Thunder!"

Lightning sent electric waved through the soaked room.

"Skarmory, Aerial Ace!"

B: "What the…"

Skarmory had just avoided the Thunder attack by launching himself forward horribly fast.

He then shot forward towards Lightning, and in the blink of an eye Lightning got thrown backwards into a corner.

"Steel Wing!"

Like a bullet, Skarmory propelled himself in the Elektrike's direction.

"Lightning, Quick Attack! On the wall!"

Lightning stood up, charging the amount of electricity in his legs, and vertically ran up the wall.

Skarmory, still using Steel Wing, crashed into the wall underneath him.

B: "Lightning! Drop down and Bite!"

Lightning spinned madly as he let himself fall down. Seconds later, his teeth closed around Skarmory's neck.

"Skarmory, ram that wall!"

Skarmory, unable to breathe properly, hurled himself against the wall. Lightning let go and fell down.

"Skarmory, Rock Slide!"

"Lightning, stand up and Quick Attack out of the way!"

Lighting whined, but didn't move.

Skarmory let out a cry, and suddenly large chunks of ceiling started to fall down.

"That's gonna cost something…" Wally said.

B: "Come on, Lightning! Stand up! STAND UP!"

The rocks were halfway down.

"COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT!"

…

…

Lightning opened his eyes. For him, the world went white.

A shock went through the building.

Then, a huge bolt of lightning shot upwards and fried Skarmory.

The rocks struck the ground. But Lightning wasn't on the ground anymore.

He was running straight up the wall again, while a blue aura engulfed him. While running upwards, Lightning's evolution finished it's final stage.

"Lightning, jump and Bite!"

The newly evolved Manetric leaped towards Skarmory, and sank his teeth into Skarmory's wing. Skarmory, now unable to remain airborne, fell down.

"Lightning, Thunder and the jump!"

Lightning unloaded his stored electricity onto Skarmory, who fainted. Just before they'd hit the ground, Lightning jumped and landed on his feet.

He howled, and the ran towards Brendan.

"Howdidido? Howdidido?" he asked, trying to lick Brendan's face and his tail resembling a windscreen wiper.

"Eh, you did great!" Brendan said, patting his pokémon on the head.

Bad move, since Lightning was still charged with electricity.

Now it was May's turn.

Winona: "I'm not gonna lose twice today! Go, Altaria!"

"Get 'em, Petria!"

The two Dragon Types both took flight when they were released. They were circling around each other, awaiting the opponent's attack.

"Dragonbreath!" May and Winona yelled.

Both Petria and Altaria blasted a hot breath in each other's direction. The two beams hit each other in mid-air.

"Sand Tomb!"

"Dodge! Fly!"

Petria whipped up a tornado of sand, and sent in Altaria's direction. Altaria easily dodged by flying even higher.

"Altaria, Dragonbreath!"

The bird-like pokémon, now flying directly above Petria, unleashed another blast of breath.

"Counter with you own Dragonbreath!" May ordered. Petria inhaled.

"Aerial Ace!" the Gym Leader ordered. Suddenly, Altaria was right in front of Petria.

"Ice Beam!"

Petria got blasted right in the kisser, and fell down backwards. She landed on her back, struggling to stand up again.

"Petria, Sandstorm!"

On her feet again, Petria began to move her four wings at a intensifying high velocity., whipping up sand and dust.

Soon, everyone's vision was blurred.

"Petria, return!" May yelled as she returned her Vibrava. Petria had been hurt pretty badly by the Ice Beam.

"Go!" was the only thing May said when she threw her second pokéball.

Due to the Sandstorm Winona and her Altaria couldn't see a thing. Nor did they see what pokémon had just been released.

By now, Altaria had taken quite a bit of damage from the Sandstorm. He was flying in the upper part of the room, looking for his opponent.

M: "Rock Tomb!"

Suddenly, the ceiling cracked and some boulders crashed down. Onto Altaria. Who fell down along with the boulders.

Lying there, on the floor with rocks all over him, Altaria cried once.

M: "Follow that sound! Double Edge!"

Altaria saw something shiny move towards him, and then he got hit. Altaria fainted.

Everyone heard a 'thud'.

"Return, Altaria! Go, Swellow!" Winona yelled.

A large, blue bird-like pokémon appeared.

From somewhere within the Sandstorm, something flashed. Followed by a roar that scared the hell out of Swellow.

"Swellow, Whirlwind!"

The Flying Type flapped her wings forcefully, and soon the room was cleared of sand.

May's eyes searched the battlefield for her little Aron, and moments later her gaze rested on her newly evolved Lairon.

"Shine! You evolved!" May yelled, clasping her hands together. Shine roared again.

Winona: "Swellow, don't let that Lairon frighten you! Aerial Ace!"

With that, Swellow dove downwards.

"Stand still Shine!"

Swellow was about to hit him, when…

"Shine, Iron Defense!"

Swellow crashed into the rock-hard Steel Type, and got flung backwards.

"Now Metal Claw!"

Shine slashed Swellow multiple times while she tried to get up.

"Now Iron Tail!"

Shine spinned around, slamming everything near him with his tail. But Swellow ducked and the tail passed over her head.

Then, while Shine was turning around, she took flight again.

"Shine, don't let her escape! Metal Sound!"

Shine let out a high screeching sound, which made Swellow back off.

"Now while she's recovering! SHOCK WAVE!"

The following blast of electric waves finished Swellow.

"You did it!" May yelled, giving Shine a hug.

Shine: "Yes I did! And now I'm hungry!"

- some minutes later -

They were standing outside the Gym again, with their new Feather Badges in their possession.

"We did it!" Brendan said, high-fiving May.

W: "Okay, that's cool and all, but when are we going to Lilycove?"

B: "How about right now?"

M: "Fine with me. Let's go.

They were walking down the next Route. They neared a bridge.

When they were about to cross it, a shadowy figure stepped out of a tree's shadow.

He grabbed a pokéball.

"Hold it."

REVIEW! Tonight I'm gonna start working on the next chapter, so maybe tomorrow or the day after that…

R-E-V-I-E-W! You understand?


	34. Signs and Shadows

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon

Happy new year everyone! I'm writing this the morning after all the fireworks, and I've got a hangover. Dang.

CHAPTER 34: SIGNS AND SHADOWS

It was raining. No, it was raining hard.

M: "Why does it start to rain when we start to walk?"

B: "D'know. It just does."

"Great" May said, adjusting her bandana. They neared the bridge.

"We aren't there yet, are we?" Brendan asked.

W: "Brendan, we just left Fortree! It'll take days before we reach Lilycove!"

B: "Thanks for saying that, it _really_ cheered me up."

They walked over the bridge. Their feet made hard 'clack' noises on the wooden structure.

Brendan stopped. He'd swear he heard yelling…

Turning around, he saw someone wearing a black cloak. Running towards them.

B: "Guys, wait just a sec. Look!"

W: "Hm?"

M: "Who's that?"

The cloaked figure stopped right in front of Brendan. His/her face was partly hidden behind a cap. Only a yellow eye and a strand of blue hair was visable.

"You going to Lilycove?" the figure asked.

W: "Eh…"

"What if we were?" May asked, stepping forward.

The figure held out a gloved hand. In it, was a pokéball. Instead of the usual red&white, this one was coloured black and white, with a red line in the middle of the black half.

"Take this with you. You must give it to someone in Lilycove's harbour, who wears clothing similar to mine."

The cloaked figure forward, and held the pokéball in front of Brendan's eyes. Brendan noticed that the cloaked figure was half a head taller than him.

"Do you understand?"

Brendan looked at the person's face. The one eye showed no emotion.

It was still raining.

Brendan slowly raised his right arm.

"Why…" Brendan whispered, his hand hovering just above the ball.

"Why should we do that?"

As soon as Brendan said those words, the person pulled back the pokéball.

Stepping aside, the person made a backflip with just one hand. Now, he was balancing on the bridge's edge.

Below him, a mighty river roared.

"Because…" the person spoke, "Because surely you want to help this poor pokémon. Catch."

The person laughed as he threw the pokéball. Then, the person leaned back. And fell off the bridge.

Brendan caught the pokéball with both hands, and attached it to his belt. Then, he ran towards the bridge's edge, where May was already looking down.

"No splash…" May said with an odd expression on her face.

Wally: "Who was that?"

It was still raining.

- later -

They had crossed the river. They then walked a few miles in which May defeated a Ranger ("Alt, Peck on Oddish!") and May almost drowned a Bug Maniac using her Feebas ("Miles, Surf! Now, Dragonbreath!").

They were currently following a path that lead through some really tall grass.

W: "Damn!"

B: "What's the matter?"

W: "I tripped over some stupid rock!"

M: "Again? This is the fifth time!"

B: "Maybe it just isn't your lucky day."

M: "No one has this amount of bad luck. At least, not for long, since they die. Not only did you trip five times, you also managed to let a _tree_ tear apart that handkerchief of yours, you got stung by that Wurmple, and you _spontaneously _lost a shou back there."

W: "Well, at least I've got my shoe back now."

B: "Yeah, after some Linoone tried to eat it. Anyway, you forgot about the rabid Poocheyena!"

W: "Yeah, that wasn't much fun either…maybe it really isn't my lucky day…"

M: "Try to look at it from the bright side!"

W: "What bright side? My knees are torn apart, my left shoe has been partly eaten, you can still see the teeth marks here, it's pouring, and on top of that…"

B: "Well?"

W: "…look out! Something's there!"

B: "Eh?"

M: "There, up on that rock!"

It was still raining.

Lightning struck some odd tree in the distance (actually, the lightning fried a sleeping Tropius).

On the rock, a white fox-like pokémon was standing. The lightning created eerie shadows around him.

"W-what's that?" Wally yelled.

M: "I think it's an…Absol."

B: "Oh, Absol! I know them! They're known to cause people really bad luck, disasters and such."

W: "You mean, this pokémon caused me to loose my shoe and all?"

B: "Probably. But mostly they're seen only when some natural disaster strikes, like and earthquake or a flood. This one doesn't seem to do that kind of stuff. Actually, he's rather small…"

On closer inspection, Wally saw that the Absol was just a pup, or whatever baby Absol are called.

It howled, and then jumped off the rock. It walked towards Wally, growling. It's teeth looked rather…sharp.

"Eh…" Wally said, searching desperately for his pokéballs.

"Go!"

The pokéball flew through the air, opened, and out came…Kirlia.

"Kirlia, Psychic!"

Kirlia: "Hey, are you stupid or something?"

W: "Kirlia, Psychic!"

Kirlia: "Idiot, it won't work! He's a Dark Type and…"

At that particulair moment, Absol decided to bury his teeth in Kirlia's arm.

W: "Kirlia, Hypnosis!"

"I TOLD YOU, IT WON'T HAVE ANY beep ING EFFECT! GET OFF ME!" Kirlia yelled as he tried to kick Absol away.

Figuring that that didn't work, he decided to follow Axl's example once more, and settle things in the Scottish way.

"Gree man!"

Unfortunately for Kirlia, Absol had let go a few secons before, and instead of hitting his foe, Kirlia only managed to his some rock.

KOing himself.

Wally returned Kirlia, and threw another pokéball, hoping that this time the correct pokémon would come out.

It seemed that Wally's bad luck had ended.

"THUNDER, READY TO ROLL!"

W: "Thunder, Thunder Wave on Absol!"

Due to the rain, not only Absol but also Brendan and May got hit.

"Now, Supersonic! Yeah! Thunderbolt!"

Wally yelled "Great!" as he threw a pokéball. Absol, incapable of offering any resistance, gave up. The pokéball stopped shaking.

"Ah, yeah! I've caught an Absol!" Wally yelled, taking a victory pose.

"Did you see me, guys? …guys? May? Brendan?"

An anime-sweatdrop materialized next to Wally's eyebrow, but it soon got washed away by the rain.

"Helloooo? Anyone there?"

Scratching his head, Wally walked over to a patch of tall grass that had been roughened up quite a bit. Wally looked at what was lying there.

"WHAT IN beep ING CELEBI'S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING THERE!"

…

…

…

Brendan was lying there, in the tall grass. May was lying on top of him.

B: "Can't…move…Thunder Wave…it hit us, too…"

M: "We got…thrown backwards…paralysed…and here we are…"

W: "Eh…"

B: "You…don't have any Paralyse Heals with you, have you?"

W: "Um, I might have some…"

After Wally applied the Paralyse Heal to both May and Brendan, and those two in their turn scolded Thunder, they continued their way.

W: "I have told you I've caught a Absol, right?"

B: "Yup."

M: "And? What will his name be?"

W: "Eh, how about Sol?"

B: "…very original."

M: "Right…Sol…"

B: "Is it just me, or is it raining even harder now?"

M: "Can't be. It can't possibly rain harder than…"

"Wanna bet?" Brendan laughed.

They walked for a little while longer, until they stopped to prepare camp. Inside something that could be called a cave.

Since all of their clothes had been soaked by the rain, they changed and put on their spare clothing.

( Flame: "Don't you not dare not to think of no perverted thoughts!")

May, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with purple sleeves, was trying to pull her sleeping bag out of her backpack.

Wally, in a green sweater with a large 'Q' on the back and white trousers which left his knees free, was trying to get a fire going.

Lastly, Brendan, dressed in dark red pants and a sleeveless black shirt with red graffiti on the chest was sorting out the food supply. And oh yeah, he wore another headband.

"Why won't the bloody fire burn!" Wally said, fiddling with some matches. Next to him, sat Sol.

Wally patted his Absol on the head. Seconds later, a chunk of ceiling came crashing down.

"Eh, that wasn't your doing, was it?" Wally asked Sol. Sol just barked and looked at Wally with big puppy eyes.

"Of course you didn't, you…"

Wally scratched Sol under the chin. Then, he accidentally almost incinerated his own fingers.

Axl: "Eh Muddy, what' yer doin'?"

Muddy: "Nothing."

Axl: "Ye ain't doin' nothing! I can tell if someone's doing nothing, cuz I do it all the time, ye ken?"

Muddy: "Aha. I understand. Well…I must be going now."

Axl: "Okay."

Muddy began to charge towards the cave's only exit. Holding a round object in his arms.

Axl: "Now what was I doin'…I was askin' where…ach, crivens! Hold it, Muddy!"

- somewhere else -

Alt: "Zeal, why is Axl chasing Muddy?"

Zeal: "D'know Alt."

"Wanna find out why?"

"Sure"

And with that, they took flight.

- somewhere somewhere else -

Petria: "Flame, are you bored?"

Flame: "Why'd you ask?"

Petria: "Well, I was thinking…maybe we could go and follow Muddy, Axl, Zeal and Alt. They seem to be up to no good."

Flame: "…why not."

Muddy ran towards some bushes, the sphere-shaped object still in his paws. He was knocking on the object with his knuckles when Axl jumped down from a tree.

"Aye! I knew you were up to somethin'!"

"Buzz off, Alx! I wanna know what's inside this pokéball!"

At that moment, Zeal and Alt flew in.

Alt: "You can't open that! It's not yours! Who knows what's inside!"

Muddy: "there's only one way to find out what's inside…"

Zeal: "Oh no you won't!"

Muddy: "Yes I will! You can't stop me, muhahAHAHAH…"

Flame leaped forward, and grabbed Muddy around the neck.

Flame: "Put down the weapon of mass…eh, just put the pokéball down. This place is surrounded."

"Surrounded by what?" Muddy asked.

"Eh, I'm the one who'll be asking questions!"

Petria: "Be careful, Flame! Muddy still has the pokéball!"

Muddy: "Yeah, so let me go or else I'll open this thing!"

Flame: "you were going to open it anyway."

Muddy: "Eh…"

Zeal: "He might just be mad enough to do it…"

Muddy: "I'm one crazy Marshtomp and…"

Flame: "Hey! That's my line! Enough!"

"Hell yeah enough!" Muddy yelled. And then, he opened the pokéball.

The white beam of light that came out of the ball materialized. Then, it was…gone.

Axl: "What the…"

Silence.

It was so silent, that even the silence itself became quiet.

Petria: "Where'd it go? This is all your fault, Muddy!"

Muddy: "Um…"

Petria: "Haven't you got a better answer?"

Muddy: "Um…behind you…"

Petria: "Do you really think I'm gonna fall for that?"

Flame: "Actually…"

Petria swallowed. "You don't mean…" she said, turning around slowly.

Nothing.

"That wasn't funny!" Petria yelled.

Alt: "Above you!"

Petria looked up.

"Oh my Rayquaza, RUN!"

Above her, a large black shadow-like pokémon hovered.

"THER!" it screeched while he lunged at Petria.

Petria dodged. The pokémon then chose a new target. Zeal.

"What the! Waaah!"

Zeal managed to avoid serious injury by letting himself fall down, avoiding the blow.

He made a somersault in order to avoid the large claw which slashed at him.

The pokémon screeched again. Then, it shot towards Flame at a horribly fast pace.

Flame: "You don't have enough GUTS to attack me!"

The pokémon raised a claw…

Alt: "Flame, now's not the time to act tough!"

Flame hurled a fireball at the pokémon, but the shadow-like creature simply cut right through it.

Flame: "Wha…"

Now, the pokémon slashed multiple times at both Flame and Axl.

Axl: "Crivens, Muddy! Grab teh pokéball an' return this geezer! Fast! Whoa! Ah…me nose! That _hurt_! Now yer gonna…"

Muddy raised the pokéball, and returned the pokémon just before Axl would've cracked his skull.

Everything went silent again.

Flame: "Well, that was exciting!"

Axl: "Ah, me nose…"

Muddy: "Maybe opening that thing wasn't such a good idea after all…"

Alt: "No kidding…"

They all went back to the cave. Silently.

Muddy put the black-yellow-topped pokéball back in Brendan's backpack.

Nobody noticed that on the pokéball, barely visible due to some scratches, the word 'Cipher' was written…

- - - - -

Not bad, if I say so myself.

The story's gonna get a lot more important soon, so I'll have to do my best!

And I'll have to think up one more pokémon for Brendan…

I CAN'T THINK UP ANYTHING! Suggestions?

And…REVIEW!

Bye.


	35. It's a Ghost!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon.

I've split this chapter in two, since it would've gotten way too long if I didn't. Now start reading!

CHAPTER 35: IT'S A GHOST!

"Willy, use Surf!"

"You too, Miles!"

May and Wally were currently having a Double Battle against two Cooltrainers. Who used a Nosepass and a Slugma. The battle was being held on a open patch of grass, with the open sea right next to it.

Willy and Miles both rose above of the water, carried on a huge wave. Both opponents took a direct hit, and Slugma fainted.

While Nosepass struggled to get up again, it's trainer yelled "Zap Cannon!".

Wally&May: "Crap!"

Nosepass's nose trembled, and then the electricity inside of it shot forward into the water.

W: "Willy, Water Gun straight down!"

M: "You too, Miles!"

Both the Water Types fired a blast of water straight down, causing themselves to rise out of the water. They floated through the air for a few seconds, while the electric wave passed underneath them.

M: "Now…"

M&W: "Hydro Pump!!"

The high-pressure water stream knocked Nosepass backwards. He crashed into a tree. He fainted.

"All right!" Wally yelled as he high-fived May.

Willy: "We did it, didn't we? Gosh, we did it!"

Miles: "Excuse me? I didn't quite fetch that. But anyway, well fought. I daresay that we could've beaten more then twenty of them!"

Willy: "…you use long words. My head's starting to hurt…"

Miles: "A great achievement, it was! It makes me feel like a young lad again!"

Willy: "You just wait here, I'm gonna go hit a rock with my head for a moment…"

Brendan: "Congrats and all of that. But what should we do now?"

May: "Do you see that island over there? The sign says it's called Mt. Pyre. We could take a look around there."

"What for? Lilycove is _that_ way!" Brendan said, pointing his finger at a distant lighthouse.

Wally: "Yeah! I'm hungry and we'd better get going! What's the point in going to that place?"

"Well, I'd like to know what those Magmas are up to!" May said, watching some Magams in small rubber boat, rowing towards the island.

B: "…you've got a point there. Okay, we're changing our plans. Let's head for Mt. Pyre."

- a bit later -

W: "Eh…"

They were standing in front of a small wooden cottage by the sea. There was no sign of a ferry.

"So, this is the ferry?" Wally said, praying to whatever god he believed in that the ferryman wouldn't be home.

B: "Where's the ferryman?"

"On a holiday." May read out loud from a piece of paper attached to a pole.

"Due to the Christmas holiday, the ferry won't be sailing for a week or two. Damn."

"Well, I guess we won't be able to go to Mt. Pyre, right?" both Wally and Brendan spoke, grinning.

M: "Well, we _could_ climb on top of our Water pokémon and…"

Brendan swallowed.

M: "Wally, Willy will be able to carry the two of us, right? Miles is way to small to carry me on it's own. Brendan, you can Surf on top of Muddy."

B: "Not again…"

- another bit later -

May and Wally were both sitting on top of Willy, holding onto whatever they could find (mainly, each other Xo).

Brendan, balancing on Muddy's back, was Surfing right next to them. The wind was turning. The sky was coloured grey.

M: "There isn't a storm coming up, right?"

A wave splashed against Willy. Wally's legs got soaked.

"Maybe there is" he said, pulling his feet up.

B: "This is going great…yup…cool…"

A wave made Muddy rock violently.

B: "I'M GONNA FALL! I'M GONNA FALL!"

SPLASH.

A wild Gyarados jumped up, causing a 'splash'.

B: "Whew. I'm still dry…"

Then, Brendan fell. Onto the shore.

- another little while later -

"…this is scary" Wally said.

B: "No kidding."

They were walking up a hill. To the left and to the right, tombstones were standing. Fog was rolling in. Every now and then, some faint pokémon cry could be heard.

"I must've got a flashlight somewhere…" Brendan said, searching his bag.

The fog made it impossible to see a thing. Some shadow stirred. Wally was pretty sure shadows weren't supposed to stir…

W: "Guys, we'd be getting our pokémon ready to fight…"

M: "What'd you mean by that?"

W: "Um, well, we're in a _cemetery_, it's getting dark, and… Ghosts come out a time like this…"

Brendan found and turned on the flashlight. The light emitting from it illuminated their path. Wally saw a shadow move from one gravestone to another…

"This place is scaring the hell out of me…" he murmured.

May looked around. Left: Nothing, all black. Right: The same. Behind: …I'd swear I saw something move…

May stood still. Did something flash? No, it must've been my imagination. Stupid imagination. I'm imagining I'm looking at some weird light in the distance! …only my imagination…

Wally: "May, why are you looking back? Did you see a light or something back there?"

M: "It's just my imagination! I'm sure of it!"

W: "I hope so, cuz I see it, too…"

M: "That's funny! We're imagining the same things!"

"Hey, are you two gonna keep standing there or what?" Brendan said, turning around and aiming the flashlight at Wally and May.

May, looking rather pale, said "Brendan, are you imagining the same thing Wally and I are imagining?"

Brendan walked towards them. "You mean the eerie light back there?"

W: "Oh my f…"

B: "I thought it was just my imagination!"

M&W: "CRAP!"

B: "I think the light's moving towards us…"

M: "You're not serious!"

B: "I am. It's clearly coming nearby."

Suddenly, Wally felt the incredible urge to take a leak.

"Perhaps we should go back…" he said as he tried to control himself.

"I doubt we can even _find_ our way back!" Brendan said, shaking his head.

"Well, we have to!" Wally said, squeezing.

"I'm afraid we can't." May said. "Unless you two want to walk towards the light over there…"

W: "Dang!"

B: "Maybe we should start moving because the light's still coming this way!"

M: "But where should we go to?! The road forks up ahead!"

B: "We'll toss! …got a coin?"

M: "No. Have you?"

B: "…no. Wally?"

Wally, jumping up and down: "I don't care! As long as we get away from here, I don't care where we go to! I can't hold it much longer!"

M: "Eh…"

B: "…"

The light got bigger. _Fast_.

B: "RUN!!"

And so, they ran, taking the left path. Well, May and Brendan did. Wally stood still behind a gravestone for about fifteen seconds, probably breaking a world record or something as he did what he had to do. His sight of relief soon changed into a terrified scream as the 'light' hovered inches from his face.

- nearby -

"Where's Wally?" Brendan said, running.

M: "What?"

B: "I said, _where's Wally_?"

M: "Ah, no! We lost him!"

Brendan looked over his shoulder.

"Something's following us!" he yelled as he saw a huge dustcloud gaining in on them.

"An' it's making a frickin' lot of noise!" he added.

M: "Is it the light?"

B: "No! I can see the light, too, and it's far away!"

M: "So, what is it then?"

B: "It's…Wally?"

Wally, still zipping his zipper, ran past Brendan and May while screaming the lungs out of his body.

M: "…_that_ was Wally?"

B: "I think so…"

M: "Look! There he is!"

Indeed, Wally was standing still. Breathing heavily, he looked down. Brendan and May closed in on him.

B: "Wally, why'd you stop running? The light's still…ah, I see."

M: "Keep running, you two! That ghost thing is still following us!"

B: "May, stop an' look down for a moment."

May stopped, and looked down. Inches from her feet, was a cliff. Twenty feet below, the waves crashed against the rock wall.

M: "A cliff…great."

Wally, still having trouble breathing, managed to say "The light!".

The three Trainers stared at the light. Which was horribly close, now.

"Stay back, you!" Brendan said as he pointed his own flashlight towards the ghost.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer, or else…Axl! Dragonbreath!"

Brendan hurled a pokéball, and out came Axl.

"Aye!" yelled Axl as he blasted the light with a searing-hot breath. The light seemed to slow down…

"Okay! Now Headbutt!"

"Gree man!" Axl roared as he ran towards the ghost, jumped and…passed right through it.

Axl crashed into a tombstone and fell down.

"Hydro Pump!"

From his falling position, Axl fired a blast of water at the light.

Which went out.

Now, the place was illuminated only by Brendan's flashlight.

Brendan swept it's beam across the ground, searching for the doused lightsource. He found a Duskull.

M: "So it was a pokémon all along…"

B: "Axl, are you okay?"

Axl: "Aye, I've got them little Bagon flyin' round me head, put putting tha' aside, ev'rything's gree!"

Duskull moved. He floated upwards, his eyes glowing.

B: "Axl, he's preparing an attack! Dodge!"

Duskull launched a Night Shade attack, but Axl managed to avoid it by rolling aside.

"Flamethrower!" Brendan ordered. Axl inhaled.

The firestream swept across the air, partly burning Duskull.

Duskull was able to remain in the air, and used Will-o-Wisp.

B: "Axl, dodg-"

But Axl got hit already. The attack hit him full in the face, and he got thrown backwards. Now, not only Brendan's flashlight gave light.

"ME HEAD'S ON FIRE!!" Axl yelled as he ran in circles.

B: "Axl, drop down and roll!"

But Axl simply kept running in every direction. He started to jump up and down.

"CRIVEN'S, ME NOSTRILS'VE CAUGHT FIRE, TOO !" he yelled as he rammed another gravestone.

Duskull's eyes began to glow once more.

"Axl, he's preparing another attack! DODGE!"

"EVEN ME TAIL'S ON FIRE NOW!!" Axl screamed, resembling a running and quite noisy campfire.

B: "Dodge! He's using Confuse Ray!"

Axl: "I KNOW THA'! STOP YER YELLIN'!"

And with that, Axl jumped and gave Duskull an Aerial Burning Headbutt. The they both fell into the mud, KO'd.

Brendan threw a pokéball as he emptied his water bottle's content on Axl.

"I'll call him Shade!" Brendan announced.

"So, that strange light was just a Duskull…" Wally said. Now, the flashlight was once again the only lightsource.

"Well, I'm glad that's over! Axl's done for, though." Brendan said as he returned the burned Dragon Type.

M: "Um…"

B: "Axl, you did a good job!"

M: "Um…"

W: "Where should we go, now?"

M: "Um, guys…"

B: "What?"

"Is it just my imagination or are there about thirty lights coming closer?" May said.

W: "We'll have to fight! Go Sol!"

Big mistake.

As soon as the bad luck pokémon Sol materialized, the flashlight's battery went dead. Now, the Trainers were surrounded by darkness.

But the faint lights in the distance were still coming closer.

B&M&W: "-censored-!"

- - - - -

I don't have to say anything, do I?


	36. Zoinks!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon. Nor do I own anything related to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

Hello everyone, it's vacation time! And there is one thing I really like to do during my holidays… FEEDING YOU GUYS FANFICS!

Enjoy!

(someone calling himself heters () is giving me reviews in which he calls me a 'f_cking b1tch'. I presume those reviews'll be gone in a few days…)

May sighed, as she watched the floater float around in the water. "Come on, eat the bait already!" she whispered.

B: "Any luck so far?"

M: "Nope."

Narrator: "Wait, weren't you two at Mt. Pyre in the last chapter? And where's Wally?"

"Wally's currently taking a leak back there." Brendan said, waving his arm at some bushes. "Wally! This guy here seems to be lost! In which chapter were we at Mt. Pyre?"

W (from behind a tree): "Um, was it chapter 46?"

Narrator: "Thanks"

B: "Off he goes…"

M: "Shhht! Quiet! You're scaring the fish!"

Now, Wally came into view. "Brendan, did the Narrator dude leave already?"

B: "He just left."

Narrator: "No, I've just returned! It wasn't chapter 46, and now I've seen some major spoilers! In which chapter are we now, anyway?"

B: "We're in chapter…"

Wally quickly 'accidentally' stepped on Brendan's foot. "Brendan! You're spoiling things! Sir, I think the chapter you are looking for is chapter 36."

Narrator: "You sure? I wouldn't like to witness even more spoilers…"

B: "If you want to hear spoilers, just ask. Like in chapter…"

W: "Brendan, STFU!"

"QUIET, BOTH OF YOU!" May yelled as she pointed the fishing rod at them. "You! Narrator! Head for chapter 36!"

Narrator: "But…"

M: "NOW!"

Narrator: "All right, all right…well, here we are! Chapter 36! The last thing we saw was that Brendan, May and Wally were at Mt. Pyre's graveyard where Brendan had just caught a Duskull. And the flashlight's battery went dead when Wally called his Absol out. Light bulbs could be seen in the distance…

CHAPTER 36: ZOMFG!

Brendan pressed the flashlight's power button multiple times, but the darkness still remained.

"What's with the flashlight?" May asked.

It was a clouded, moonless night with no stars. In other words, they couldn't see a thing.

"That piece of sbeep! Out of all the times it could stop, it had to be now?"

W: "Erm, the lights in the distance, they disappeared, too!"

M: "Brendan, don't you have spare batteries?"

"I might have…" Brendan said as he opened one of his backpack's pockets.

"Hurry up, I've got a feeling that someone's sneaking up on us…" Wally said with a high voice. Something stroked Wally's leg.

"MOMMY! Oh, wait, it's just you Sol…" Wally said as he felt the long warm fur of his Absol.

"I've got the batteries here… May, hold this for a moment…" Brendan said as he held out his backpack.

May, with the visibility being poor, couldn't see Brendan's hand and bumped into him.

"Oof!"

"No! The batteries fell!" Brendan yelled, reaching down and searching for the batteries with his hands. The only thing he felt was wet grass. "Guys, help me find those batteries! I can't find them!"

Now, all three Trainers were crawling through the damp grass, looking for a pair of AA Penlights.

Wally reached out with his left arm, finding nothing. Moving his fingers through the grass, he found something round and hard…was it a rock?

"What's this?" Wally asked as he looked up.

At that exact moment, a light illuminated the area. In front of Wally was…a 'light', the same kind of eerie glowing sphere they had been running from just one chapter ago.

"ZOINKS!" Wally screamed as he saw that a person was standing in front of him, holding the 'light'.

M: "What did you say?"

W: "I said Zoinks!"

M: "Care to explain what exactly-"

B: "May, look!"

Inches from Wally's face, was a knee. The knee was connected to leg, and another knee with leg attached to it was positioned left of the first knee. Wally's hand was holding a shoe. The shoe was probably connected to a foot which was connected to the right leg. The two legs seemed to be part of a…body.

The person standing before Wally had a pale face, littered with make-up. She (Wally guessed the person had to be a she since the face slightly hinted in that direction) had long raven-black hair and wore a long black dress. The 'light' came form a Duskull she was holding in her arms.

W: "ZOINKS! A GOTHIC!"

Gothic: "No, I'm not a gothic! I'm a Hex Maniac!"

M: "But even the preposition of your line of speech says you're a gothic!"

Hex Maniac: "No it doesn't!"

M: "NARRATOR!"

Narrator: "What?"

M: "You're screwing it up again!"

Hex Maniac: "Anyway, I want to battle you! Who's the owner of the Absol over there?"

W: "Uh, I am…"

HM: "We battle! Now! It's your destiny to battle me!"

W: "Er, I don't really wanna… couldn't you just tell us where the exit is?"

HM: "Go Duskull!"

"Just get it over with, Wally. Duskulls aren't that hard and you've got a Type advantage." Brendan said, having located the batteries for the flashlight.

W: "Okay… Go Sol!"

The disaster Pokémon jumped forward, growling at the Duskull. The Ghost-Type, in his turn, launched a Will-o-Wisp at Sol. "Dodge!"

Sol crouched, and rolled aside, evading the attack, and leaped forward. "Bite!"

Sol buried his teeth in his opponent's arm, heavily damaging him. "Duskull, disappear!"

On his Trainer's command, Duskull disappeared. Taking the light emitting form his one eye with him. Everything went black once more.

"Night Shade!". Something flashed, followed by a howl of pain from Sol.

W: "Brendan! Haven't you got your batteries yet?"

B: "Yeah, but… I forgot where I left the flashlight…"

"Then search for it!" Wally yelled as Sol got hit again.

HM: "Heh heh heh…you can't win! I'm destined to win this one!"

M: "We'll see about that! I've found the flashlight!"

B: "Where is it?"

M: "You're holding it in your hand! Idiot!"

"Wait…you're right!" Brednan exclaimed as he opened the flashlight and placed two batteries on touch.

HM: "Night Shade! Muhahahah!"

W: "Double Team!"

A purple light flashed for a second.

Brendan turned the flashlight on, and looked around. "Where's Sol?"

"Up there!" Wally said.

Sol was standing on top of a gravestone behind Duskull. His fur was waving in the wind, and his eyes were glowing red. At the moment he raised his head to let out a terrifying howl, lightning struck in the distance.

"Sol, Crunch!" Wally yelled, pointing his arm at Duskull.

Sol roared, and jumped forward with his claws spread wide. Duskull was till turning around when Sol's claws got hold of him.

In mid-air, Sol slashed Duskull multiple times with his claws before finishing it off by crushing the unfortunate Ghost-Type with his fangs. The two Pokémon crashed into the ground while Sol was still grinding Duskull between his teeth.

HM: "No! Dusky!". When Sol stood up, there was little left of the Ghost-Type.

"All right! We won!" Wally yelled as he ran towards Sol in order to give him a hug. Sol looked at Wally, who instantly tripped because of a undone shoelace.

M: "Okay Wally, you beat this one but what about all those other lights we saw? Were they just stupid gothics, too?"

HM: "I'm a Hex Maniac! And no, they're just wild Ghost Pokémon."

B: "Good. By the way, what are you doing here? It's past midnight!"

HM: "Me? It's my fate to be here…"

B: "…and?"

HM: "Well, I lost my Pokénav somewhere around here…"

B: "…right. Well, good luck. We're gonna continue to search for some Team Magma Members. Did you see any?"

HM: "Magmas? You mean those Wannabe gothics?"  
W: "cut the gothic jokes already! They're getting old…"

"I didn't see any Magmas, but I did see some Aquas…" the Hex Maniac said, waving her arm in the direction of Mt. Pyre's top.

While Wally returned Sol to his pokéball, he asked "Up there? What'd they want to do there?"

HM: "I don't know. The only thing up there worth of seeing are some Orbs with power beyond imagination, but…"

B: "Er, did you say 'power beyond imagination'?"

M: "That's what they're after, right?"

W: "Yup…"

"There you are!" some voice form the dark said. "Did you find it, Ogg?"

"Not yet, Weatherwax!" the Hex Maniac replied to the person who came walking in their direction, holding yet another Duskull. On closer inspection, it seemed that the person wore clothing identical to the Hex Maniac.

"Is that Duskull a fashion item or something?" Wally proclaimed, as the two Hex Maniacs made their leave without saying bye or anything.

M: "Maybe we should go take a look up there…"

B: "Hm?"

"Well, there is something on fire over there…" May said while nodding at a huge smokecloud coming from Mt. Pyre's top.

"…Good idea." Brendan said as they started to run.

I really love the fact that I can say it again: PLEASE REVIEW!

I'll update! …soon!


	37. Sneaking around Mt Pyre

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this.

Hello people! Guess what? Vacation. Vacation! VACATION! Oooh yeah. Time for me to start writing.

Enough chit-chat, it's time for me to shut the beep up and let you read this chapter!

CHAPTER 37: SNEAKING AROUND MT PYRE

They passed a tree to the left. The fog was still think. A wild Shuppet watched as the three trainers rounded a corner. A gust of wind made the clouds drift away. The now visible moon illuminated everyone's path.

"It's not gonna rain, is it?" May asked while looking up at the pitch-black sky.

"Like I care…" Brendan replied, heading forward.

Another corner…another gravestone…another tree…the smoke coming from Mt. Pyre's top seemed to increase…"

Brendan swayed the flashlight's beam across the grass. The road seemed to end here!

Wally: "Now what?"

"We'll just make a beeline for the top." Brendan said as he charged into the meadow. Mt. Pyre's top seemed really close now. Brendan looked at the top again, which suddenly changed it's position. "Whoa!"

May: "Brendan?"

"I'm okay, I slipped in the wet grass." Brendan said, laying flat on his back.

"Shall we make a detour?" Wally whispered.

"Eh?"

"Shht!" Wally grabbed Brendan and May by the arms, and dragged them behind a large oak tree. "The flashlight! Cut the flashlight!"

"Why?" Brendan asked. Seconds later, he found out why. A beam of light swayed past the nearby gravestones.

"Are they Aquas?" May whispered, while looking at the shapes of two people.

Wally: "No, Magmas! Shut up!"

The beam swayed, and went straight for the large oak tree.

Brendan: "The light's going the wrong way! It's coming right at us!"

May: "Did they see us?"

The flashlight's beam stopped right in front of the tree. The shady figures walked towards the tree.

May, Wally and Brendan, all pressed against the back of the tree, were trembling.

"Did I hear something back there?" a Magma exclaimed.

"You're imagining things." a second Magma replied.

"No, I definitely heard something. And it wasn't a tree!"

Slowly, Wally raised his right arm and reached for a Pokéball in his vest. Quietly, he opened it. Alt came out. Immediately, Wally kept Alt's beak shut with two fingers.

Barely understandable, Wally whispered "Listen, and listen good, Alt. I want you to imitate the sound of a large oak tree, right now."

Alt though for a moment, and then emitted the sound of a large oak tree.

Upon hearing the sound, one Magma said "I told you it was nothing! It's just the sound of a large oak tree!"

"All right, maybe I was wrong. It's just an oak tree. Let's go." The second Magma said, pointing the flashlight somewhere else.

Both Brendan and May stared at Alt as if he was some sort of extraterrestrial creature.

Brendan: "How the hell…"

Walking away, one Magma said "I didn't even know oak trees made noise."

"Really? Me neither!"

They both stopped right on the spot, turned around, and ran towards the large oak tree.

Brendan: "Ah hell, they're coming for us after all!"

May slammed her hands in front of Wally and Brendan's mouth. At that moment, two Team Aqua Grunts charges out of the nearby thicket.

"Go, Sealo!" "Take it at 'em, Pelipper!"

The two Magmas responded by calling their own pokémon. "Ninjask!" "Go, Crobat!"

While the Magmas and Aquas tried to best each other, Brendan whispered "I've got an idea!"

May: "Is it a good idea?"

"I think so."

"Then speak up!" Wally said while returning Alt.

"Look, we'll take Lightning and Thunder, and let them attack those bad guys at the same time. All the pokémon over there have got a weakness to Electricity, so we can knock them all out in one blow with a combined attack. I'll go and sneak over to the bushes on the opposite side of the meadow, so we can attack both enemies in the back."

Wally: "But…how do we know when to attack? If the attacks aren't executed simultaneously…"

Brendan: "When I reach my post, I'll make the sound of…"

May: "Come on, no more sound jokes in this chapter!"

Brendan: "All right, all right. Then what do you propose?"

May: "Um…"

Brendan: "Exactly. Now, when I reach my post, I'll imitate the high-pitch cry of a Taillow. If you hear that, attack."

Wally: "okay."

"And what about me?" May asked, arms crossed.

Brendan: "Eh, you just stay here with Wally and observe the area. I've got to go now, or else the battle will be over before we even can attack!"

And with that, Brendan made his leave.

"Go, Thunder!" Wally whispered as he opened his pokéball.

"THUNDER REPORTING FOR DUTY…"

"Thunder, you'll have to wait for a few minutes. Just try to entertain yourself until then."

"STARTING ENTERNAINMENT PROGRAM #25…CALCULATIONS…2 cubed equals 4…2 to the third power equals 8…2 to the fourth power equals 16…"

- somewhere in the damp grass -

Brendan crawled through the grass while keeping an eye on the battle currently taking place. He quickly rolled behind a tree when a astray Water Gun flew in his direction. Reaching the opposite side of the battlefield, he drew Lightning's pokéball.

"Lightning, be quiet!" Brendan spoke to the Lightning-Type as soon as it appeared.

"Manetr-" Lightning said before Brendan's had got hold of his snout.

"I said, be quiet! Now I'll just make the sound of…"

Brendan thought for a moment."

"Lightning, what does a Taillow's cry sound like?" Lightning rolled his eyes.

"Muddy! Axl! Does anyone here know how to make the sound of…" The two newly appeared pokémon both raised their shoulders.

"Ah, come on! You guys aren't THAT dumb!"

Axl: "Who're ye callin' dumb? I'll show ye how te make the sound of a Taillow!"

And with that, Axl gave Brendan a headbutt in the groin.

- with Wally and May -

"2 to the four hundred and eighty equals…um…eh…"

Wally: "That was the high-pitch tone of a Taillow for sure! Thunder, use Thunderbolt!"

- with Brendan and his pokémon -

Brendan, lying on the ground while firmly clasping his you knows, yelled "Lightning, Thunderbolt at those Aquas and Magmas!"

Lightning: "Yeehaw!"

The criminal pokémon Trainers, upon hearing the yelling, turned around just in time to see a huge circle of electricity close in on them. Seconds later, they were toasted and knocked unconscious.

"We did it!" Wally yelled as he charged out of the thicket with May right behind him.

"Brendan?"

"I'm over here…" Brendan whispered as he stumbled out of his hiding place, hands between his legs.

May: "What happened to you?"

"I didn't know how to make the sound of a Taillow, so I asked Axl if he knew. And well, he knew…"

"Whatever. Let's get going."

Chapter 38 is coming up (really) soon! In a few weeks, I'll be going to France for about six months, I which I'm gonna write a sh1tload of chapters! Please look forward to…

Oh, and it feels soooooo good to be able to say this once more…PLEASE REVIEW!


	38. Heading For The Top

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If only...

Guys, I'd like to apoligize. Sorry for neglecting my fanfic-writing duties for more than a year. I really am sorry. Please accept my apoligies. I hope someone's still interested in this after Diamond and Pearl came out…After finishing exams (hell) I've finally found some time to type a few chapters, so here goes :

CHAPTER 38 : HEADING FOR THE TOP

Brendan pushed aside a treebranch. They had just finished off two surveilling Magmas by luring them towards a cliff with Petria, and then sending Shine in for the kill. The weight of the Lairon was more than enough to knock both criminals out for quite a while.

Also, a little while before that they had Kirlia use his Psychic powers to make an Aqua Grunt trip. Brendan and Wally quickly jumped on top of the poor guy and tied him up.

Lastly, when Sol looked at a nearby Aqua Admin, a tree spontaniously crashed down, right onto said Admin.

May, Brendan and Wally, hiding behind some bushes, were now all looking at a large, open place on top of Mt. Pyre, where currently a battle was taking place. Right in front of something resembling an altar, two guys were having a battle…and a lot of other Magmas and Aquas were standing behind these two battling figures.

"Hey," Brendan said, "Isn't that guy over there Maxie? You know, we saw him back at Mt. Chimney..."

Wally: "So the one he's fighting must be an Aqua..."

The two trainers were using a Gyarados and a Golem, and-

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

"Golem, roll aside!"

The Rock-type rolled himself up to a ball, and managed to avoid the searing beam of light. Now, the beam, after missing it's intended target, was heading straight for our three most beloved trainers.

"Duck!"

As one man, Brendan, Wally and May ducked, the beam passing right over their heads.

"Those two are way too strong! We can't beat them like this!" May cried, her voice just barely ascending above the sound of an explosion occuring behind them.

Brendan: "So? Let them beat the crap out of each other first, then we'll take action. That's my suggestion."

Wally: "Err, guys..."

May: "What is it, Wally?"

Wally: " We've been discovered..."

Indeed, due to the explosion and crouching just a few seconds ago, a tree had been blown away, exposing their hiding place. Maxie, Archie (it's him alright) and all the other bad guys standing there were all looking at the three trainers. It took only a wave with the arm from the two Team Leaders to make all the other Magmas and Aquas scramble and charge at this fanfic's three main characters.

"It sounded too good to be true, anyway." Brendan sighed as he reached for his belt. " Hm, Axl is still burned from the fight with that Duskull, Who is knocked out as well...Go, Muddy! Muddy Water!"

"Flame, go! Flamethrower!"

"I choose you, Thunder! Shock Wave!"

The Aquas 'n Magmas, not fighting each other for a change, began throwing their pokeballs, as well.

"Tentacruel! Carvanha! Machoke! Mighteyena! Seadra! ATTACK!"

A melee started.

"Thunder, evade and Metal Sound!" Wally cried, his Magnemite spinning around to avoid a lousily aimed Water Gun, and then emitting a horrible screeching sound. " Now, Thunder!"

"DICTIONARY. SEARCHING FOR FITTING SLAG. FOUND. EAT THIS." Thunder spoke rather calmly in that robotic voice of his as lightning came crashing down to fry the opponents surrounding him.

"Flame, Double Kick, followed up with Aerial Ace!"

Following the two kicks in the face, Flame then slashed right through the enemy Linoone.

As Muddy hurled a thick, sticky stream of Muddy Water at his opponent, Brendan yelled "May, let Flame use High Jump Kick! Hurry!"

May: "Why?"

"Just do it! Yeah, now, Muddy, Earthquake!"

The ground rumbled and crumbled as a huge earthquake shook the battlefield. Flame's attack landed right on top of the last surviving enemy Pokemon.

Panting, Wally asked "Did we win?"

"NOT YET!" the Aquas and Magmas yelled, returning their fainted pokemon. Then, they all threw a new pokeball.

Wally: "Damn! Thunder, Shock Wave at that Seaking!"

While the three Trainers were trashing some Grunts, the battle between Maxie and Archie continued. By now, they had both switched pokemon.

"Chariward, Steel Wing!"

"Blastoise, Skull Bash!"

The Fire-type, currently flying, swept down and delivered a hard Steel Wing attack right into the Blastoise's face, who then rammed his head into Charizard's stomach.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Fly!"

"Sorry we're late!"

A huge ray of energy came crashing down and blasted a hole into the ground. Out of the black midnight sky, a huge pokemon came swooping down. Two trainers, uptill then perched onto the yellow flying behemoth's back, jumped down and reached for their belts.

One of the Trainers, a blond-haired guy, helped his companion down before pointing a ball at his Dragon-Type: " Return, Alpha! Now, go, Destroyer!"

The other trainer, equally blonde, also produced a pokeball. She wore a pink cap. "Go, Catastrophe!"

"HYPER BEAM!" both Nina and Razor then ordered.

"Charizard, counter with Blast Burn!"

"Blastoise, counter with Hydro Cannon!"

"Muddy, keep going! Surf!" Brendan yelled as the battle dragged on. To the left, an explosion occured, indicating that Flame had just blasted a Sunflore off to kingdom come.

The battle of Mt. Pyre was still in full swing. As the two newly arrived trainers (Razor and Nina) continued to battle Maxie and Archie back at the altar, May, Brendan and Wally were still in the middle of a desperate struggle for survival, facing off against a crowd of Aqua and Magma Grunts who outnumbered them at least two to one.

"Guys, my pokemon are getting tired..." Wally complained, returning his Magnemite, Thunder, after a rabid Hitmonlee had kicked his lights out. "Come on Alt! Aerial Ace!"

"I'm still ok!" May announced, before ordering Flame to execute another Double Kick.

Brendan glanced to his left and right. They were coming at him from three different directions and-

"Look out!" Brendan cried, dashing forward and jumping on top of May, throwing both of them into the damp grass.

"What was that for, Brendan?"

"Stay down!" Brendan ordered, hugging her tightly.

May: "What the hell do you think you're-"

'WOOSH' would be the most appropriate word to describe the following flood of razor-sharp leaves which passed over both of their heads. A few seconds later, the trees behind them came crashing down, all neatly chopped to pieces by the Razor Leaf attack.

"Oh." was all May managed to utter as she turned her head towards Brendan's.

"...thanks." she muttered, staring into his eyes. May then realized she had never payed much attention to Brendan's eyes, who had a pretty cool ruby-like hue...

"...you're welcome." Brendan replied, blushing. They oughtta put a law up for having sapphire eyes like May's, he thought. It's criminal, having eyes that beautifull...

Their romantic moment, however, soon got interrupted by two persons: firstly, Wally yelled "Are you two all right?", thereby ruining the romantic suspense in the air.

Secondly, Muddy slammed into the cold, wet cemetery grass after taking the Razor Leaf attack head-on.

"Ouch! Oi, Brendan, why did you have to save her, and not me?" he groaned, trying to stand up again.

"You like her better than me, your very own pokemon? Is that it? Huh? Huh? I knew it! You don't love me anymore!"

Muddy, however, soon got silenced by Flame, who swooped in and delivered a painfull kick to the back of his neck, causing the Marshtomp to collapse again, this time with his eyes closed.

"They were having a romantic moment! Don't go ruining it!" the ferocious Combusken cried, kicking him again after landing on the ground.

"Men..." Flame sighed, before running off to take care of another opponent.

Not having heard this pokemon conversation, Brendan quickly pushed himself off May, leaped up, and ran over.

"Muddy! Muddy! Can you hear me? Muddy!"

"He's not replying!" Brendan cried, shaking the unconcious pokemon thoroughly.

A small strand of drool began to drip down from the corner of Muddy's mouth. Obviously, he was sleeping, dreaming of whatever youthfull Marshtomp dream about.

"Don't scare me like that..." Brendan grinned, returning his partner before yelling "Go, Lightning, toast that Tropius!"

– – – – –

Meanwhile, May had stood up again, as well. Dusting herself off, and trying to ignore the fluffy feeling she had gotten when she realized Brendan had saved her, she then recalled Flame, who was becoming tired after beating a Graveler to bloody rock-pulp.

Then, she called out her Vibravia, Petria.

"May! Let's attack together!" Wally suggested, already sending Alt over to fly in formation with Petria.

Both trainers then cried "Aerial Ace!" at the exact same time, after which both of their pokemon swept through the enemy lines in a V-like formation.

– – – – –

"Earthquake, Charizard!" Maxie ordered, seeing how the Nidoking he was facing off against had just used Dig to head underground.

"Catastrophe! Stop him! Bubblebeam!" Nina cried, her Nidoqueen firing a stream of bubbly stuff over the ground, preventing the opposing Fire-Type from landing and causing an Earthquake.

Archie grinned, deciding to assist his supposed archenemy - Maxie - long enough to take care of these bothersome new trainers. After that, he'd take care of those Magma losers.

"Blastoise, YOU use Earthquake!"

Razor glanced at Nina, small sweatdrops forming on his forehead, which his partner took notice of.

"Don't worry, I've got this one covered." Nina smiled, giving Razor a wink. "Catastrophe, Tackle him!"

"Ain't gonna work!" Archie laughed, his Blastoise already raising up one foot to stomp the ground with.

"Now Catastrophe! Thunderbolt!"

The charging Nidoqueen roared, and launched a jolt of thunder from her mouth, which, conducted by the wet ground, found it's target rather quickly; the Blastoise got shocked, and then thrown to the floor.

Maxie laughed. "Too bad for you, Arc'! I'm gonna win this one! Charizard-"

"Destroyer, DIG!" Razor cried, just as the Magma leader's Fire-type landed to deliver that long-awaited Earthquake. Nidoking rose up from the ground and, rocks and boulders flying everywhere, rammed the unsuspecting Charizard.

With a mighty roar, the beast got slammed onto the ground, and, seconds later, both Nidoran-evolutionaries were standing in front of him.

Nina and Razor grabbed each other's hands, and pointed their unoccupied arms forward. Like a pair of wannabee Power Rangers, and with a big, glowing pink heart-shaped light appearing behind them, they then both yelled "MEGA HORN!"

A mighty roar, charging, and two voices yelling "Nooo!" later, both Maxie and Archie had to return their Pokemon.

Grumbling, the two Team Leaders looked at their opponents, then at each other, estimating their chances. Both then reached for their pokeballs, and called out another creature to fight for them.

– – – – –

Brendan's eyes swayed from one opponent to another, trying to keep track of everything happening around him. He was down to his last pokemon, Lightning, who was now dodging one Rock Tomb after another, each attack launched by the enemy Claydoll duo missing their intended target thanks to the Manetric's ridiculously fast movement.

"Zigzag through the attacks, then Bite!" Brendan ordered, rolling aside to dodge an astray boulder heading straight for him.

"Gogogogogo!" an hyperactive Lighting, now charging forward with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, cried. As rocks of over an adult man's length in diameter crashing down to his left and right, Lightning simply gave his muscles a jolt, and lunged, sinking his teeth deep into the Claydoll's neck, which cracked upon impact.

The other Rock-Type, however, used his friend's demise to his advantage, and fired a point-blanc Stone Blast right into Lightning's back, who succumbed to the tremendous force of this attack, and got returned seconds later, along with one of the two Claydolls.

"Dammit..." Brendan whispered under his breath, reattaching Lightning's pokeball to his belt.

"I'm almost done for...all that's left is Axl, and he's already dead tired..."

Lost in thought about his next move, Brendan didn't notice he accidently grabbed the wrong pokeball, one one with a black-and-yellow pattern, instead of the usual red-with-blue. The one he had received from a cloacked guy a few days ago...the one with the word 'Cipher' ingraved on it.

All of this, Brendan didn't notice as he raised up his arm, and threw the ball.

– – – – –

Dare I say it? After all this time? Once more? Do I still have the right to ask? Even after all these wonderfull people have already given me so much reviews? I mean, I'm incredibly gratefull for all those reviews you people gave me. Can't ask for more, can I? Well, I'm gonna do it, anyway, coz it has become a habit of mine by now:

~ please review ~

Thanks in advance, and thank you, all of you, who have given me reviews in the past. Even if you'll probably never read this, I'd still like to express my gratitude. Now, expect the next chapter to be posted soon (honestly!)


	39. Terror and Thievery at the Top

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Too bad, eh?

CHAPTER 39: TERROR AND THIEVERY AT THE TOP

"Alt!" Wally cried, rushing forward to catch up his knocked out Swablu. As the cotton bird landed in his outstretched arms, Wally ducked to dodge another Thunder Punch thrown by a somewhat aggressive Electabuzz. After only barely managing to jump over a second attack, the young green-haired Trainer then kept running away from the Electric-Type.

"This ain't funny anymore!" he yelled, producing Kirlia's pokeball from a pocket and throwing it over his shoulder.

Out came the Psychic-type, who then immideatly proceeded to telekinetically lift Electabuzz up into the air, and throw him away.

"You think you're tuogh, huh? HUH?" Kirlia cried, using the Electabuzz as a big, yellow, screaming remote-controlled malletto hit other opponents with.

"Strike!" he commented, aiming Electabuzz right into the group of Magmas, who all got thrown aside.

Kirlia folded his arms, and nodded. His makeshift mallet, now in pain and screaming, got flung towards the Aqua team, next.

"It's not the Electabuzz that bends..." Kirlia mumbled, lost in thought. A loud snap, and a cry of pain as more people got sent flying.

"Nope...it snaps instead."

Meanwhile, Wally repositioned the unconcious Alt onto the top of his head, as some sort of strange, moving cotton fluff hat. THen, he hurried off to get out of Kirlia's way, who had to pick a new victim to use as a mallet, since his Electabuzz seemed to have, err, snapped. In two.

"May! We're getting overpowered here! What to do?"

May had just ordered Petria to whip up a Sandstorm and hide inside of it, when Wally asked this question.

She frowned. "Well, with some luck, those guys over there at the shrine might-"

May, however, got interrupted when a high-pitch pokemon cry rebounded throughout the area. A black shadow, seemingly coming from Brendan's direction, sped through the enemy lines while hacking and slashing to his left and right, the pokemon he attacked falling down only seconds after he had passed by.

"What is that thing?" Wally muttered as the Shadow pokemon somersaulted, landed on top of a Machamp's head, and drove a wicked scythe-like arm into it's shoulder, before turning to it's next victim.

"...Wally, what in the...did he just..." May whispered, automatically taking a step back after witnessing the onslaught.

Uttering a fearsome battlecry, the pokemon again mauled two opponents at once, ramming it's claws into two helpless Grass-types and then letting them collide with their respective owners a few moments later.

"Whatever it is, it's not mine." the green-haired trainer whispered back, before ordering Kirlia to keep his distance from this new creature. Things were becoming a little bit too dangerous for his tastes.

Completely aghast, Brendan bumped into their conversation.

"That...that...I used the ball we had to take with us to Lilycove, and...and..."

Another bloody cry, another bloody accident involving one of the creature's claws and a Kadabra's stomach, and then the dark beast, standing on top of a heap of defeated opponents, turned towards his next target: the three Trainers we all know so well.

"It's looking at us!" Wally yelped, noticing how the beast was looking at them with red glowing eyes.

"He...he's not going to attack us, is he?" May whispered. "I mean, they can't...right?"

The wicked creature spread it's wings, and began to flap them at a high speed. He was preparing to attack.

Brendan began to search his pockets for a pokedex, but was only able to produce a pencil, two paperclips, some empty batteries and a piece of string. 'Always carry a piece of string with you' his grandma had told him. Thanks, grandma.

While Brendan scolded his grandparents for no particular reason, May had already found and aimed her pokedex.

"What does it say? What does it say?" Wally demanded.

The shadow creature lifted off, and began to catch up speed.

May held the device's screen closer to her face. "...eror?"

Wally gasped. "Why the hell is it..."

"...spelled with just two 'r's, yeah, I'm wondering about that, as well." May finished.

She started to grumble. "Dad gave us some cheap junk, doesn't even spell the word 'error' right..."

"That's not the question!" Brendan interrupted, "Is it a pokemon, or not?"

"Yeah, it's a pokemon, all right. But why is it...shadowy?"

"Guys, now is not the time for stupid jokes. An animal with four letters in it's name, and it says 'quack'?" Brendan spoke, staring at something coming closer rapidly.

Wally knew the answer. "...a duck?"

"That's right. Now DUCK!"

The Shadow creature lunged.

Holding onto their headgear (hairbands...bandanas...Alt...) the three Trainers then ducked, just as the creature passed over and tried to behead them with a long, horizontal slash.

"Return it, Brendan!" May screamed as she rolled aside to dodge a second, vertical slash.

Almost dropping the oddly coloured ball, Brendan then raised it up and pointed the thing at the Shadow beast, who was now trying to dissest Wally with it's claws.

"Return!" Brendan cried.

A flash of red, an angry roar, and then the claw, which had been thrusted into the damp soil where, seconds ago, Wally's head had been, disappeared.

"Not a second too early..." Wally sighed, letting himself fall back into the soft, wet grass.

"...what was that thing?"

Brendan, also down and sitting on the ground, looked down at the ball in his hand, and sighed.

"Being a delivery man is dangerous...help me remember that next time I buy a newspaper." he mumbled, still breathing heavily. "May, you said the Dex recognized that thing?"

May was still staring at her hand, which was holding up the pokemon identification device.

"Yeah, but there's something odd about it..."

"Of course it's odd, this thing just tried to turn us into bite-sized bits!" Wally complained, before getting up and looking at the mass of Magma and Aqua Grunts behind them. Each and every one of them had been injured so badly by the Shadow pokemon's onslaught that only a few of them were still conscious. Those that were, still had trouble just moving around.

May coughed. "Anyway, the thing back then seemed to be a-"

An explosion. And a big one, at that. It seemed to have originated from the graveyard's shrine/altar/whatchamacallit.

It took Brendan, May and Wally less than 20 seconds to dash over there and find out exactly what was happening:

The two Team Leaders, Maxie and Archie, bad both jumped on top of their respective pokemon partners, namely an Aerodactyl and a Walrein, after trashing Razor and Nina's pokemon with a combined attack.

After the smoke, caused by a Hyper Beam the Aerodactyl had fired, Maxie raised his voice:

"Stay back, or I'll fire again!" he threatened, pointing a finger down at the Shrine his pokemon had landed on top of; the stone building's roof had been blasted apart by the explosion. Now, a long, deep crack in the granite pavement showed the altar's content:

Inside, three Orbs, each of them emitting a faint glow, were laying on a pedistal.

Razor smiled, and waved at the three newly arrived Trainers. "Hi guys! Long time no see!"

Then, scratching the back of his head, he turned to Maxie again.

"So what? They're just a bunch of rocks. Shiny rocks, nothing more."

Nina slapped him on the back of the head. "Those 'rocks' just happen to be our primary objective, Razor!"

"Oh, sorry. Didn't know. Um, don't do it! Please! Leave the shiny rocks alone!" Razor then pleaded.

"Whatcha doin'?" Brendan asked, bumping into the conversation. "And what's up with those shiny rocks?"

"They're not rocks, Brendan!" May proclaimed, smacking him on the back of the head, as well, before high-fiving Nina.

"We are supposed to make sure those Orbs are kept out of harm's way!" She explained.

Wally, also arriving, opened his mouth to ask a question: "How do you know all of this, May?"

"That's simple. I read the manual." the brunette stated with a wide grin, holding up a Ruby/Sapphire Guidebook.

"Hey! You're not ignoring me, are you?" Maxie yelled, still threatening to blow up the Orbs with his Aerodactyl's Hyper Beam. Slowly, he leaned forward to grab the Orbs.

Brendan: "No! Please! Don't we need those rocks to ascend to the next level!"

May frowned.

"And save the Princess!" Razor added.

"...what Princess?" Nina asked with a menacing look in her eyes. "You never told me about another 'Princess'."

A large anime sweatdrop appeared on the side of Razor's head. "Well, you see Nina, it was just a-"

"I WON'T ALLOW IT, YOU HEAR?"

"So, are we going to do something about that Aerodactyl, or...?" Brendan asked, just standing there, in between May and Wally, watching how Nina proceeded to lift Razor off his feet and shake him thoroughly.

"Hmm..." Wally mumbled, "How about we..."

However, Wally never got to finish, since at that exact moment, Archie and his Walrein tried to slam Maxie aside and take the Orbs for his own.

Maxie's Aerodactyl retaliated by sinking it's teeth into the Walrein's tail.

"No, you idiot!" Maxie yelled at his Aerodactyl, "Keep your eyes on those Orbs!"

"NOW!" Wally, May and Brendan all cried, rushing forward, past the quarrelling Razor and Nina, past the two Leaders, and into the opened shrine.

Each of them reached out, grabbed one of the Orbs, and then made a run for it, leaving everyone else behind as they charged down the mountain, a large dustcloud appearing behind them.

"Why are we running away?" Wally cried, closing the line as they headed down the graveyard's path.

"Coz that Aerodactyl was charging another Hyper Beam!" Brendan replied.

Seconds afterwards, a huge explosion occurred at the top. Both Maxie and Archie got sent flying together with their pokemon, straight past the horizon.

On the other hand, Nina and Razor were nowhere to be seen.

"...now what?" May sighed as they slid to a halt. She replaced her bandana, which had been cut up by one of the Aerodactyl's fangs as they made their leave, with a new one, and then put her hands against her hips.

"Well? What are we going to do now?"

"Run." Wally stated.

May frowned and inquired why.

"Gramps over there seems to be angry coz someone wrecked the shrine!" Brendan exclaimed, passing by as he continued to run down the mountain path.

"Yeah, and his wife seems to be even more angry!" Wally added, following after Brendan. "May! Run for your life!"

"But we can explain, right? It wasn't our fault..." May yelled after them, before turning around to see a very old couple come charging at her, waving brooms and walking sticks above their heads.

"Try explaining why we nagged those Orbs, then!" Brendan yelled from a distance.

"...Orbs?" May repeated. She stared at the elderly couple, who was closing in rapidly, then down at the blue stone in her right hand, and then back at the elderly couple.

"Ohmygod WAIT FOR ME!"

– – – – –

Truth be told, I'm horribly incontent with these two latest chapters. Something seems to be missing, but I can't put my finger on it...lack of typical humorous things, maybe.

Anyway, thanks for reading in advance, and please review! I'll be explaining some stuff concerning Razor 'n Nina, as well as some other things, in the next chapter!


	40. Search for Shady

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon...or do I?

Alright, I said I'd explain some stuff regarding certain characters, so here goes: May, Brendan and Wally and the main storyline are all obviously based off the Ruby/Sapphire game storyline. Razor and Nina are my versions of FireRed and LeafGreen's main characters, whom I decided to give a small role. I always wondered what happened to them after they completed their game's storyline, so here we have it; they left for Hoenn. Their names are a tribute to an RP I participated in years ago. As most of you would have noticed, I also included some references to XD: Gale of Darkness (I'm pretty sure Cipher exported Shadow Pokemon to other countries, as well) and I'm about to add even more characters from other games in the upcoming chapter. Well, here goes. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 40: SEARCH FOR SHADY

Tired, dirty and soaked wet by the trip back, Brendan, May and Wally finally arrived in Lilycove early next morning.

Passing by the docks, where sailors were already in the middle of un-and reloading moored cargo ships, Brendan surpressed a would-be loud yawn before again opening his mouth to speak:

"Well, at least we got those shiny rocks we came for."

He looked down at the ruby-coloured Orb he carried, and grinned.

May slyly glanced at the sapphire Orb which she was still clenching firmly with one hand. It reflected her own, equally sapphire eyes. She smiled.

"I still feel bad about taking them, though..." Wally mumbled, holding his own, emerald green Orb in front of his face, inspecting it. The Orb's smooth, round surface deformed Wally's reflection, making him look like a particularly fat green-haired Munchlax.

"We didn't have any other choice," Brendan remarked, "We need those Orbs to progress further in the game."

Storing the Ruby Orb on his belt, he turned to his female companion: "Right May?"

"D'know." May sighed, producing her walkthrough guide and flipping pages.

"We ought to head for the Pokecentre, first, I think. Flame's exhausted, and I really need a change of clothes..."

With that, May referred to the 'accident' which had occurred when they entered Lilycove some fifteen minutes ago; some crazy motorcyclist had passed by without slowing down, sending pools of mud alongside the road upwards and sideways, where it splashed over our three Trainers.

"Unsensitive bastard." May mumbled, rensing her bandana.

"That's dangerous, you know." Wally spoke while recalling the event. "Driving without helmet, I mean."

Brendan coughed. "Driving without a front wheel's even more dangerous. Seriously, what kept that motorcycle up in the air? It floated!"

But before Brendan could say anything else, May interrupted him with a joyous cry: "There's the Pokecentre! Jirachi, I really need a shower!"

About half an hour later, they all stepped out of the Centre's slide doors. Brendan stretched himself out, and yawned again while May was tending to her bandana and Wally was trying to fasten his shoelace.

They had taken quick showers, change of clothes, breakfast and the lot. Their Pokemon had been left behind, to be tended to by the nurses. Axl had been making a ruckus over what he believed to be "Im'tation haggis!" and "An' insult to everythin' sco'ish!", while it was actually just a pile of leftovers from an unspecified source. He had eated it, anyway. Which is why he was now on the Intensive Care. Axl, that is, not the imitation haggis.

"Ah, that's better." Brendan remarked, pulling his trademark headband over his head. "We've got some free time on our hands."

"Brendan, aren't you forgetting something?" May asked carefully.

Brendan frowned. "...we did have breakfast, didn't we?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." May replied, rotating her head sideways to get a better angle for combing her hair.

"Then what is it?" Brendan asked. "I've got my backpack right here..."

Wally scratched the back of his head. "He still has his pants on..."

May sighed. "The Pokeball, remember? The one you were supposed to deliver to some shady guy at Lilycove's harbor!"

"Ooh, that one! Good idea, May. I want to get rid of this thing as soon as I can..."

Brendan produced the black-with-yellow ball, which was the only pokeball left on his belt, and frowned.

"Wanna get rid of it...before it opens up again."

"So, now what?" Brendan asked five minutes later.

The three were standing in front of a large building - a bar, to be precise. A typical sailor bar; no place for little Trainers to go into. SOunds of breaking furniture, glass, and the occasional cry of pain could be heard even from outside.

"Um, it's a big harbor, ya know..." Wally whispered, obviously not liking the place very much. "Let's go search somewhere else, ok?"

A chair came flying out through a window, sending glass shards flying everywhere.

May sniffed, and took a step forward. "Shady persons can only be found in shady places," she insisted, "And this sure is a shady place!"

"The sun has barely come up, of course it's, err, shady." Brendan joked, pointing a finger over his shoulder, towards the sunrise behind their backs.

Indeed, it was still early. Most people were getting up by now. In other words, prime time for drunk and highly aggressive hooligans/sailors/grampas who had been going all night already.

"Well I don't like it." Wally whined, seeing how a small, wooden table left the building through the window which had been shattered by a chair seconds earlier.

"Oh for Latias' sake, are you two men, or what?" May sighed, grabbing both Brendan and Wally by the arm. May had had enough. Time to get things over with.

So, she did what she had to do, namely dragging both of her male companions over to the bar's entrance, pushing both of them inside, and then taking a step backwards.

Then, she waited. Places like this weren't appropriate for a girl like herself.

"Lad, what're you don' 'ere?" a half-drunk sailor asked, bending forward to see exactly what shrimp he was talking to. A green-haired shrimp, it seemed.

"Um, me? Uh, don't mind me, mister. I'm not important..." Wally replied, trying to act as unimportant as he could.

"Oi, who're ya talkin' to?" another sailor asked, joining in, a bottle of brandy in his hand. "Aye, what's this little shrimp doin' 'ere?"

"Um, well, I'm looking for a shady person..." Wally tried to explain, but neither of the sailors were listening. No, they were hoisting a fellow sailor up into the air, before throwing him out of the bar, through the window which had previously been used to export a chair and a table.

Meanwhile, Brendan, after losing sight of his dear friend Wally in the mass of drunken sailors, continued to search.

"Shady types...shady types..."

Wally inhaled slowly. The conversation with those two boatsmen wasn't going very well. Right now, one of them had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and was tryign to teach him some outlandish song involving farmers and gasoline.

He wasn't going to find any shady persons if things kept going like this, and he didn't want to disappoint Brendan, or May. For some strange reason, it was the thought of disappointing May which made him take action:

"Alt, can you hear me?" he whispered, prodding his Swablu, who was still sitting on top of Wally's head as if he were a fluff hat with wings. He was the only pokemon Wally hadn't left behind at the Pokecentre, just because he didn't want to wake the little Flying-type up.

Still drowsy, Alt opened one eye. "...what is it..." he murmured, already drifting off into sleep again.

"I need your help with this!" Wally insisted, getting pulled along towards another group of drunken sailors.

"Don't know the lyrics! Teach me, Alt!"

Brendan, still searching, located what seemed to be a shady type of guy; a cloaked figure sitting at a small, otherwise deserted table in a corner of the bar. A small cup of cappuccino stood in front of him. Bad guys always drank cappuccino.

Our favourite white-haired Trainer inhaled, prepared himself, and stepped forward.

"Um, mister shady guy..."

"Wes took me along to this place!" the girl May had been talking with squeeled. She hugged her pokemon, a Plusle, tightly.

"So you're on vacation in Hoenn." May concluded, watching how the red-haired trainer with twin pigtails glomped her Pokemon.

This girl seemed to be an interesting person to talk to while waiting outside. She seemed to be quite fashionable, too. Clothing-wise.

"Wes is cool, Wes is awesome, he's so cute and he's my hero!"

"Yeah. Okay. But where did you guys come from? You still haven't told me, and-"

Rui pointed a finger.

"Look! Look! There he is! Wes! Weees! I'm over here!"

A sweatdrop appeared on May's forehead as she saw the motorcyclist, coming in from somewhere down the road, close in.

"He's not slowing down..."

"Of course he will! He's my Wes, and he loves me dearly!"

Sitting on top of a oversized, pumped-up motorbike with no front wheel, the Trainer called Wes came speeding towards the bar. A maniacal grin appeared on his lips as he readjusted his metallic sunglasses.

"I'm telling you, he's not slowing down...' May sighed, slowly starting to take steps backwards, out of the biker's way.

"But my Wes is sweet!" Rui insisted, "He wouldn't do something like-"

May's eyes grew wider. "He's going to ram this place! JUMP ASIDE!"

Brendan coughed.

"Um, mister shady guy mister..."

And at that particular moment, a bigarse motorcycle with no front wheel entered the bar through a window on the opposite side of the bar, sending glass flying in every direction.

The bike landed on top of a table, which got smashed by the bike's weight. The Trainer and bis motorcycle spun around three times before finally skidding to a halt, some tables and drunken sailors being overrun in the process.

The place where the guy had come to a standstill just happened to be right in front of Brendan and the cloaked guy.

Pulling off his blackglasses, while at the same time reaching inside his long dark-blue trenchcoat, producing two pokeballs he both held in one hand, the biker grinned and turned to the table where the supposed shady guy was sitting at.

Wes pointed the pokeball-carrying arm forward, right at his intended target.

"Hand over XD-004, Cipher!"


	41. Enter Colosseum

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Now let's get started:

CHAPTER 41: ENTER COLOSSEUM!

Brendan swallowed, and tried not to appear too conspicuous. The silver-haired motorcycle-riding guy in front of him kept pointing two pokeballs forward with his outstretched arm.

He wore some sort of armor-like device on that arm of his. And the guy had a horizontal white line across his face...Brendan wondered if this was a tattoo, or not.

Either way, Brendan didn't seem to like the guy very much. He looked like some sort of criminal, and was obviously trying to threaten them. Brendan reached for his belt.

"Well? What're you waiting for? Hand it over, already!" the guy, who was wearing a long, dark blue trenchcoat, asked.

He poked his arm forward as if he were holding a gun. "Come on! Meowth got yer tongue? Speak up!"

Slowly, the shady guy who had uptil then been sitting at his table without making a move, stood up. A smile appeared on the visable parts of his face as he grabbed the rim of his cloak.

"You've got the wrong guy." he sneered, holding open his coat. On his belt, he was carrying nothing but normal pokeballs.

The Cipher guy's one visable eye slid over Brendan, who was still ready to draw a pokeball if the need would arise.

"He's the one you're looking for." the Cipher agent spoke, pointing a finger at the young headband-wearing Trainer.

"Who, me?" Brendan exclaimed, taking a step backwards. "What've I got to do with this?

Both the biker and the Cipher attendee were now staring at Brendan's belt. More specifically, the only Pokeball on Brendan's belt a black and yellow one.

"What're you lookin' at?" Brendan groaned, hoisting his pants up a bit more. "He's the shady type, not me!"

The silver-haired Trainer grinned, and repositioned his bike so that he was now facing Brendan directly.

"I see. Thanks." he told the Cipher agent, before turning to Brendan:

"You. Give me XD-004, nice and steady."

– – – – –

"THAT was your boyfriend?" May exclaimed, staring at the huge hole in the wall the biker had left behind when he charged into the bar.

Dusting herself off, Rui got up, and sighed.

"He likes to do things in a rough way, that Wes of mine." she spoke, helping May get back up.

"But he's still my sweet Wes!"

May raised an eyebrow at this latest remark. "But why did he have to enter through the wall?"

"Oh, it's a long story..." Rui replied with a smile, readjusting her jacket.

May thought for a moment. She thought about Brendan and Wally, who had been inside of the bar when that crazy guy came crashing through the wall with his motorcycle.

"They can wait." she decided. "Tell me."

Rui inhaled. "It all began a few months ago..."

- a few months ago -

"That's why I'm telling you not to come along!" The silver-haired trenchcoat-wearing young man called Wes cried, loading his beloved motorcycle onto a small ferry.

Rui made a sour face. "Explain it to me once more, then."

Wes stopped, and began to fumble with his bike's keys.

"Look, you've been following me for half a year now. It was still ok after the first month, when we purified the last Shadow Pokemon on this continent, but..."

"But what?"

"But then you had me enter and win every damn tournament on this part of the globe! With every friggin' Pokemon in my possession!"

"So what? You're famous now, Wes!"

"Famous? Me? Haven't noticed it yet. People in town still call me the same, adress me in the same way, hell, they're still saying the same damn lines whenever I talk with 'em! They certainly don't ACT like I'm famous or anything!"

Rui rolled her eyes and folded her arms in front of her chest. "They're just country folks, Wes..."

"And what's more, over 370 hours of playtime certainly ain't something to brag about! They call me 'geek' behind my back, I'm sure of it!"

"Ooookay, so maybe Orre is getting a little boring. Maybe you DO want to go somewhere else. How about going to my hometown? Just the two of us! Ooh, I know, you can meet my parents and-"

"Rui, Cipher ain't finished yet. I heard they're developing a new type of Shadow Pokemon, and these ones aren't restricted to just Orre. So I'm going on a journey to try and track down every last one of them. First, I'd like to go to Johto and-"

"But why can't I come along, Wes?" Rui cried.

Wes moved his Snag machine-equipped arm up and tapped his new headgear: a visor-like thing attacked to his trademark blackglasses.

"The guys at the Pokemon HQ Lab finally completed it; the Scouter! Wait, sorry, I mean the, err, Aura Searcher! It's the latest prototype. With this, I can recognize Shadow Pokemon on my own. So let go of me and leave me alone already."

"But you're my Wes, Wes! Why'd you leave me behind?"

"Coz...aaargh, look, Rui, I liked it when we first met, you're cute and all, but after a week or two, you were starting to get on my nerves. I mean, not only did you keep following me all day, even into the restroom, but you also wouldn't let go of me during the night! A guy needs his privacy, you know!"

Rui turned all teary eyed. "But Wes-!"

"Let go of me. It's sexual harrassment."

"But you're my Wes!"

"Let go of my arm, I tell you! And give me back my underwear! I know you've been snatching and hiding them from me for some reason!"

"...Wes..."

"Babe, the only reason why I put up with this was because you could recognize Shadow Pokemon. But now that I've got this handy Scouter thing here, I don't-"

"Give that thing to me for a moment."

"What, the Aura Searcher?"

"Yes."

"No way! I'm not gonna let you- hey! Give it back! No! Wait! Don't throw it into the water! Don't- ack, now look what you've done!"

- end flashback -

"And that's how I got him to take me along!" Rui smiled triumphantly.

May managed to produce a faint grin. She already felt sorry for this Wes dude, whoever he was.

"But what's taking him so long?" Rui then sighed, turning to the bar and moving her head to the side a bit, in order to get a better view of the building's interior through a window.

"He should be done by now...last time he hunted down a Cipher goon, it took him less than fifteen-"

And at that particular moment, the bar's door got slammed open, and out came Brendan, running for dear life.

Seconds later, Wes came chasing after him, pulling up his motorcycle's non-existant front wheel and taking half the doorpost with him as he left the building.

"Help! He's gonna friggin' kill me, that crazy bastard!" Brendan screamed, running down the road at a record speed.

"Stop him! Stop that Cipher bastard!" Wes cried as he pursued.

"Wes, what's going on?" Rui yelled after her supposed boyfriend.

"The kid stole a Shadow Pokemon! He's got XD-004!" Wes yelled, racing after Brendan on his motorcycle, while screaming bloody murder and the lot.

"I didn't steal no freakin' shadow Pokemon!" Brendan replied, "Honestly!"

"You're lying! Luna, Luce, fry the bastard!"

Two bright flashes erupted from Wes' outstretched hand, and then two Eeveelutionaries, Espeon and Umbreon; were sitting in the sidecar. Both of them started to fire energy beams all over the place, hitting just about everything except for Brendan.

"Go Wes, catch that mean Cipher baddie!" Rui cheered as Luce blasted a particularly large banner off it's hangings.

May turned to the girl she was standing next to.

"You're actually cheering for that criminal bastard over there?" she asked, not believing that the person trying to drive over Brendan was the one Rui had just described.

"Wes is no bastard! How dare you!" the red-head puffed, baring her teeth.

May frowned, and stumbled "Now hold it right there, 'your' Wes is the one trying to drive over-" but to no avail, as Rui had already called out her Plusle, shouting "Plusle! We charge!"

"What?" was all May could manage before Rui threw herself on top of the brunette, screaming and trying to rip her hair off.

– – – – –

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Wally stumbled out of the bar, Alt (with a very sore throat) still pressed onto his head. The Flying-type, with his vast knowledge of song lyrics, and an accent resembling Axl's, had managed to sing along with the drunken sailors' songs, and was now completely exhausted.

"Hi May." he mumbled, walking past a very angry young bandana-wearing girl, who was on the ground, rolling through the dust while trying to tear a red-haired girl's ears off.

"Hi Wally." she replied, before rolling over again to assault the other girl's pigtails while she, in her turn, tried to claw May's eyes out.

Still dead tired, and only half aware of everything happening around him, Wally held still when he reached the middle of the street.

Slowly, he looked down. Right in front of him, Wally saw an enormous crater. In the middle of the road.

What was a huge crater doing in the middle of the road?

Wally scratched his head in bewilderment, accidently waking up Alt in the process.

He looked to his left, and then to his right. It seemed that the crater right in front of him wasn't the only one around. Throughout the entire street, there were hundreds of similar craters, on the pavement, in a lawn, on some walls, on some roofs, street signs, billboards, trash cans...everywhere.

What the heck.

Where did all those craters come from? Wally asked himself whilst in the distance, the girls' struggle continued.

"...where did all those holes come from?"

Wally glanced over his shoulder, and looked back at May, who was still fighting dirty with this other, yet to be identified girl.

"Take that back! MY WES IS NOT A CRIMINAL!"

"Let go of me, you hag!"

Why were they trying to tear each other's lungs out? What for?

Wally took his time to ponder over all of this.

– – – – –

Meanwhile, the wild goose chase continued, with Wes, on his motorbike, with his trusted Espeon and Umbreon in the sidewagon, racing after Brendan, who was running from one alleyway into another, trying to shake off this crazy dude who wanted to turn him into a big, ugly and bloody splash on the pavement, and whose pokemon were trying to blast him (along with half of the street) into oblivion.

"Stop, in the name of the law!" the motorcyclist yelled as Brendan turned another corner, into yet another alleyway, jumping over cardboard boxes and other trash while Wes just rammed through it all.

"What law?" Brendan yelled back as he ducked behind a trash bin, a black beam fired by Umbreon missing his head by inches as it slammed into a wall.

Wes made his motorcycle skid to a halt, pulled up the absent front wheel, and raced after Brendan, into the alleyway.

He was starting to get pissed.

"Whose law, you ask? MY law! My law, you hear? Respect my authority!" he cried angrily, putting on his signature sunglasses. "Luce, Luna, blast him!"

Brendan yelped, and turned another corner to avoid a new wave of white and black beams coming right at him. Climbing over a fence, the white-haired trainer started to leap from trash bin to trash bin before hitting the ground, rolling and continuing to sprint.

He ended up running back into the street where the chasing had started; he was running right towards the bar.

"Wally!" Brendan cried, locating his companion, who was absentmindedly staring at a wall.

"Help me!"

Wally looked Brendan's way.

"...Brendan?"

Ignoring the obstacles in his path, Wes came charging through a wall, landing in the middle of the street. Yanking his motorbike's controls, he proceeded to once again rush straight at Brendan, at top speed.

"STOP THE FREAKIN' CIPHER GOON ALREADY! Luce, Luna, Psychic and Dark Pulse at maximum power!"

Brendan jumped. Just in time, as the pavement he had been standing on got blasted by a combined attack, sending Brendan flying instead of losing his legs altogether.

Arms flailing about as he tumbled through the air, Brendan got sent hurtling towards Wally. Colliding with the green-haired trainer, the two eventually came rolling to a halt, their backs slamming into a wall.

Wes stood up, balancing on top of his bike before jumping off, and as the vehicle continued to speed down the road, Wes and his two pokemon landed on the hard concrete road, right in front of Brendan and Wally.

"Give it up, kid." Wes grinned, taking off his black glasses and spinning them around between his index and middle finger.

"Just hand over XD-004. I'm warning ya."

"WES!" Rui cried out, appearing from out of nowhere and clenching onto his arm. "I've missed you!" she told him, ignoring May, who was still recovering from the recent catfight. The battle had apparently ended in a tie since Rui had more important matters to tend to, like sexually harassing Wes.

"What's XD-004?" Brendan asked, emerging from the pile of limbs as he managed to untangle himself from Wally.

"Don't play dumb, kid. I know you've got him." Wes sneered, eyes not straying from his target.

Brendan coughed, searching for words as he tried to get up. "I-"

"The ball, dude! Just give me the damn balls already!" Wes then angrily groaned. Patience wasn't exactly his thing.

"...you mean this?" Brendan asked as he produced the black-and yellow ball from his belt.

Wes held out his hand, both of his pokemon still ready to strike whenever he'd give the signal.

"Yeah, that one. Hand over the Shadow Pokemon."

"...shadow Pokemon?" repeated, dumbfounded. The guy kept talking about 'shadow pokemon', but what exactly were they?

"You know..." Wally began. The green-head was still laying flat on his back, pointing a finger up at an advert on the wall. "Some guy calling himself Miror B. is requesting info on XD Shadow pokemon..."

"Yeah, and I'm about to give that info to him!" an obviously evil voice then cried from somewhere behind them.

All the trainers, Brendan and Wally, on the ground, Wes, standing right in front of them, Rui, clenching his arm, and May, catching up with them while rubbing her head, all turned around.

The shady guy from back at the bar was standing there, hoisting up Wes' motorbike, which he had carelessly discarded when Brendan got downed, before sitting down on top of it. The guy leaned forward, and opened the place where the driver's helmet was supposed to be stored. Inside of it, lots of more black and yellow pokeballs were stored.

"Thanks for the Shadow Pokemon you've been collecting from all around the world!" the guy yelled, throwing his cloak's hood back, revealing his face: he looked almost exactly like Wes.

"IT'S THAT SHADY GUY!" Wes yelled, pointing a finger at his doppelganger.

May and Brendan exchanged glances.

"Told you he was a shady type of guy."

"Shht!"

"I'll be sure to make good use of those Shadow Pokemon you tracked down so diligently, by selling them, selling 'em to Miror B.! Smell ya later, dude!" the Wes imposter grinned, switching to full throttle and speeding off, leaving a dustcloud and some very surprised Trainers in his wake.

Wes' face was a mixture of disbelief, despair, and extreme anger.

"...the hell." Brendan then finally managed, being the first one to say something after about half a minute of silence.

Wes finally acted. Pushing Rui away, he stumbled forward, towards Wally, and held still right in front of the wall. Angrily, he tore off the poster Wally had been looking at, and quickly glanced through it.

"...Mossdeep. Miror B.'s at Mossdeep, Rui! Let's go!" he exclaimed, discarding the piece of paper and starting to run towards the harbor.

Rui squeeled, and ran after him, her Plusle sitting on her shoulder as she cried "Oh Wes, I'm right behind you!"

Together, the two rounded the corner, Wes taking long, angry steps and Rui darting around him was the last our three trainers saw of them. Without uttering a single word, Brendan, Wally and May saw them run off towards Lilycove's ferry service.

"So..." Wally started.

"...what the hell..." Brendan added.

"...was up with them?" May finished. "Guys, that's the last time I'm leaving the Pokecentre without my pokemon."

"Word." Brendan sighed, helping Wally get up. Then, he looked at May, whose hair was a mess, her bandana had been torn, not to mention what happened to the rest of her body.

"What happened to you, May?" Wally asked, holding one hand up to prevent Alt from falling off.

May rolled her eyes.

"Don't even think about asking. Now, let's go find us some place to have lunch."

Both Brendan and Wally nodded. "Good idea. Catfights make you hungry, so-"

That last remark earned both of them a smack on the back of the head, before the three walked off into a different part of Lilycove.

– – – – –

I probably won't be able to post another chapter within the next two weeks, so you'll have to wait a bit for the next chapters to come up. Don't worry, that doesn't mean I won't be writing 'em!"

Please review!


	42. Lilycove Peril

I think I own you all an apology. Even after I quit updating this story over two years ago, you guys kept giving me those wonderfull reviews, which made me feel incredibly bad about not updating. Thank you, all, for the lovely reviews. I don't know how to thank you all. But I am going to try to make it up to you. Now, after two years, as a student who still hasn't grown up, I might just actually try to continue this fanfic. Let's see if I can remember where I left off.

Thanks to a bunch of notes I found at the bottom of a closet, I think I might know how to continue. First of all, I'll be finishing and adding a bunch of chapters that never got uploaded. After that, it's all up to me to remember what's supposed to happen next. Not sure if I'll be able to live up to your expectations, since the upcoming few chapters are probably going to suck, but I'm going to try! Again, thank you all, for your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!

CHAPTER 42: LILYCOVE PERIL

"What do you mean, 'the ferry has just left'?" May exclaimed, slamming both of her hands onto the counter, causing pencils and paperwork to get sent flying.

"Exzactly what it implies, ma'am." the person behind said counter, a middle-aged man with a moustache, replied. He, too, slammed his hands down onto the counter and then leaned forward. "Ze ferry has left. Zhere's nothing more to it."

Sweatdrops appeared on Wally's forehead. "May, let's go see if Brendan has had any luck hiring a boat. Come on, take it easy..."

May, however, would have nothing of 'taking things easy'. Putting all practicalness aside, this was a battle of wills, after all. Both May and the clerk bent forward over the counter, and kept staring at each other untill the opponent would turn away.

Which neither of them did. Their angry faces inches away from each other, May sniffed. The boatsman raised an eyebrow. May bared her teeth.

"Don't worry Wally, I saw this in a movie once." May spoke slowly, not moving one bit as she kept staring at the guy with a gaze so fierce it would cause most solid objects to combust spontaneously.

The boatsman, however, simply raised his other eyebrow, as well.

"You see, this Australian guy in the movie, he could make animals bend to his will by simply looking them in the eyes for a few seconds." May explained. "I'm trying to do the same here."

The boatsman sighed. "Madame, ze boat to Mossdeep has already left ze docks. Zis criminal-looking fellow, he insizted zat ze ferry would leave immideately. He even threatened ze Captain. No ferry will be leaving for Mossdeep for ze next two days, which is when ze ferry will return from it's journey."

May's eyes turned into tiny cateye slits.

"No ferry will be leaving today?"

"No, madame."

"There's no other ferry left?"

"No, madame."

"You really sure?"

"Oui."

"Look into my eyes. When I snap my fingers, there'll be a ferry at the ready-"

"Zat is not going zo work, madame. Zere are no more ferries available."

May looked as if she was about to strangle this guy, right here and now. Then, she smiled.

"All right, then." she said, turning away and proceeding to walk towards the door.

"May, what in Celebi's name-" Wally began, before the brunette grabbed him by the wrist and then dragged him along.

Outside, they met up with Brendan, who seemed to have had just as much luck in finding transport to Mossdeep. He raised up both of his hands in a noncolant way, and grinned as his two companions walked over.

"The last boat just got hired by some guy and his irritating girlfriend who wouldn't let go of him." Brendan reported, reciting exactly what the boat-hiring man had said. "So we can't go to Mossdeep on a hired boat. You had any luck getting ferry tickets?"

Wally shook his head. "May tried to hypnotize the guy or something."

May crossed her arms, and looked away with a sour face as Wally continued to explain.

"...but it didn't work. The last ferry had already left."

All three Trainers looked down and pondered for a moment.

"You know..." May started, looking up again, "We could try surfing to Mossdeep."

"Yeah, Willy can carry me." Wally nodded, while Brendan's face became pale.

"And whitey-locks over here has got a Marshtomp, right?" May added with a disturbingly evil grin on her face, poking Brendan between the ribs with her elbow.

Remembering his past experiences with trying to surf on Muddy's back, Brendand took a step backwards, and shook his head.

"Impossible." he stated, "Plain impossible. Muddy ain't big enough. Remember what happened last time?"

May snickered. "Yeah, you made it onto television last time. Why not give it another go?"

"Guys, it takes fifteen hours to get there by boat! I can't balance on Muddy's back for fifteen hours straight!"

"Well anyway, there isn't enough room for another person on Willy's back. You go and try to fetch yourself a ride, Brendan." Wally stated with a friendly smile.

"But...but...but May's got a Feebas, right? Why can't _she_ ride on it's back?"

"You mean Miles?" May asked, producing a faint laugh. "You can't possibly expect me to sit on top of Miles for fifteen hours. I'd get all wet."

"As if I _wouldn't_ be getting all soaked..." Brendan sighed.

"Oh, I wish mister Briney and his boat were here..."

"What's the fun in that? It'd make the game too easy." May commented, as if this fact were as plain as day.

Brendan scratched the back of his head, and realised they had forgotten something. "Guys," he began, "We still haven't picked up our Pokémon from the Pokécentre."

– – – – –

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

"That food be mine, ye hear?"

Flame sighed. "They're at it again..." she muttered.

Muddy, Axl and Lightning were having a fight over exactly who got to eat the last remaining bit of lunch. As always, the three had gulped down their own portions as fast as they could, but this time they had a new friend and teammember.

It turned out Shade the Duskull, whom Brendan had caught back at Mt. Pyre, didn't need substance due to him being a Ghost type, having no apparent mouth and passing right through most objects, including food.

As such, there was now one last bowl of...whatever it was that they ate, left. Muddy, Axl and Lightning all insisted that this last bowl was rightfully theirs.

"It's mine!" Muddy insisted, scooping up the bowl.

"I saw it first!" Lightning barked as he lunged and clenched the bowl's rim in between his teeth.

"But I got here first!" Muddy proclaimed.

"But I'm teh most hun'gry of ye all!" Axl cired, jumping up and holding onto the bowl with both paws. Due to the Marshtomp and Manetric's size, little Bagon Axl was now hanging in the air, holding onto the bowl while Muddy and Lightning both continued to pull.

"Ye lads've both ev'lved already, but I havnae! I still need ta grow!"

Both the Manetric and Marshtomp went silent for a moment, and thought about this.

Then, by yelling "Mine!" and then pulling some more, the two started all over again.

"No, MINE!" Muddy roared, clasping the object with both hands and pulling harder.

"'s mine, ye hear?" Axl cried, dangling in between the two evolved Pokémon with his feet off the floor. "Ye wanna piece of me, eh? EH? Ye want sme ta give ye a goo' ol' Glasswegian' Kiss?"

– – – – –

"Sooooooo, your name was Shade, right?" Petria asked, trying to get a conversation started with the Ghost-Type she was sitting next to. After some treatment and check-ups, the nurses had left he three Trainers' pokémon in their room, to await their masters' return.

As the fight over who got to have Shade's lunch continued, Petria had flown up to one of the bunk beds, to meet Brendan's newest monster. Who wasn't the most sociable ghost around.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Petria tried. "Hey!"

Shade, who had been staring at a wall uptill then, slowly turned around and stared at Petria with his one eye.

"I have a knife." Shade stated with some pride, "And I stabbed an aunt with it once. You wanna see it?"

Petria was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. So the Ghost-Type turned out to be psychotic? Nervously, she shifted positions. "What do you mean, see 'it'?"

Shade moved in closer. "You wanna see the knife, or the aunt?" the creature asked with a gleefull smile. As far as one-eyed ghosts with skull masks could produce gleefull smiles, anyway.

– – – – –

While Shade was well on it's way towards totally creeping out Petria, at the same time, Flame and Zeal were having a conversation with Miles, May's Feebas. Miles had been placed inside of a glass fishbowl to prevent dehydration.

The fishbowl, placed on the desk, didn't provide Miles with nearly enough room to move or, say, breathe. And Axl having thrown up inside of said fishbowl a few minutes earlier didn't really help, either.

So now, Miles had turned green and was floating upside-down. Flame and Zeal were discussing their next course of action.

"I suggest we turn the fishbowl upside-down." Zeal suggested. According to him, it would turn Miles back upside-up, and solve the problem.

Flame wasn't so sure about this plan of Zeal's. She wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to fish, but still had the uncomfortable feeling that turning a fishbowl upside-down would have bad consequences.

"I don't know..." she mumbled, "You're sure Miles will stay, err, upside-up if we do that?"

"Oi, Petria! We've got a situation here!" Zeal called out while tapping the fishbowl's glass with one foot. "Come over here and lend us a hand!"

Petria heard someone call out form somewhere down below. She turned to Shade, who was now offering to show her a voodoo doll resembling the areforementioned aunt.

"Sorry, I think this is all really interesting 'n stuff, buuuuut...I have to get going. Like, now. Bye."

And with that, Petria made her leave, trying to get away from the Duskull as quickly as possible.

"I see dead people..." Shade mumbled, before turning to it's own business.

"'sup?" Petria asked, landing next to Zeal and Flame. Flame pointed at the fishbowl containing Miles. Seeing how Miles apparently became a shiny, bright green Feebas, Petria quickly managed to understand what was going on.

And at that moment, disaster struck. The battle for food had reached it's climax, with Axl headbutting Lightning, who as a result let go of the bowl. This launched said bowl backwards, out of Muddy's clumsy hands and over his head into the air, heading towards the desk on the opposite side of the room.

Accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, Miles' fishbowl got sent flying out of the window. "Oops." Axl grunted.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Miles has left the building." Muddy joked, watching as the sick Feebas disappeared from view, down into Lilycove's murky harbour waters. A loud 'SPLASH!' could be heard.

Flame smacked Muddy on the back of the head. "Don't you just stand there! Go save him, Muddy!"

"Anything for you, babe." Muddy grunted as he went into a sprint. One foot after the other, he sped forward, his upper arms moving in conjunction with the movement of his hind legs. Walking upright was new for him. As waved crashed in the distance, the camera initiated a slow-motion close-up of Muddy's torso-

"Hey!" Flame interrupted, "Someone's in trouble over there! Stop acting like you're in Baywatch or something!"

"All right, all right." Muddy sighed. With one big frog leap, Muddy took into the air, flew over the desk, through the opened window, and into the fresh, clean Lilycove air, where he landed in the not-so-fresh harbour waters.

"Take Willy with you!" Kirla cried from the window, hurling Willy's pokéball downwards as well.

Muddy submerged the moment he landed head-first in the water, yelling "Miles! Where are you? I've come to save you!" amids a cloud of air bubbles.

Searching for the poor and helpless creature in need of saving, he dove deeper.

"I'm right here." a watery voice replied from deep down. A voice with a clear british accent and a slight hint of irritation.

"Miles!" Muddy cried in surprise, sending more air bubbles up towards the surface.

"I can swim, you know." the Feebas replied calmly, as the two began to swim upwards. "But now what? That Axl fellow seems to have launched me out of the window...quite the situation, indeed."

Muddy frowned as they neared the surface again.

A large shadow appeared above the two of them. The shadow was growing larger, too. Muddy and Miles both looked up. "What the bloody-"

Accompanied by another loud SPLASH, Willy landed right on top of them.

"Gosh, sorry guys, someone went and threw me out of the window, oh, gosh, we're in the ocean, aren't we? Gosh, look at all the fishies and, gosh.."

"Willy, we're trying to come up with a plan here." Muddy noted after carefully examination the newly appeared bump on his head.

"To get it up, or not to get it up." Miles sighed. "That's the question. Any suggestions?"

– – – – –

The fact that I can once again ask this, after more than two years, fills me with great joy:

Please review!


	43. Lilycove Pearls

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Now let's get started:

CHAPTER 43: LILYCOVE PEARLS

"...so you sure they'll be all right down there?" Shine asked, looking down through the Pokémon Center's window. Miles, Muddy and Willy had all crashed down into the harbour waters below after Axl knocked Miles out through the window. There were no visible lifesigns.

"They'll be fine!" Kirlia grinned, patting the Lairon on the back. "They've gotten out of messier situations in the past, haven't they? Just have faith, or something like that. It's all we can do, since we won't be having the screentime for anything else this chapter."

– – – – –

"Are you _positive_ this is a good idea, guys?" Willy demanded.

Muddy, balancing on top of the Wailmer, insisted that everything was fine. Miles, in his turn balancing on top of the Marshtomp, also had his doubts concerning Muddy's latest briljant idea.

"Are you _sure_ that this little plan of yours will succeed, chap?"

"Of course it will! Trust me, I've done stuff like this hundreds of times before!"

"...what's that supposed to mean?" Miles asked as a new wave of half-rotten leftovers washed over the three of them. The plan was to stuff Miles _into_ the Pokémon Center's drainage systems, where he would swim upwards to get inside and contact the home forces.

"But what exactly do you expect me to do when I get in?" Miles sighed, his head already halfway stuck into a drainage pipe by Muddy, who was balancing on top of Willy while holding up the Feebas.

"Um, well, that's the second stage of the plan, um, you figure that out on your own. There you go!"

And with that, Muddy gave Miles a mighty push, and with a loud 'PLOP' sound Miles disappeared into the drainage system.

"Gosh, Muddy, you're pretty good at coming up with stuff like this. Normally, it's Flame who-"

Muddy grinned. "Well, what can I say? I'm a natural for stuff like this."

– – – – –

"Bloody sewers."

Crawling through a sewer pipe, Miles muttered a few insults. He was currently trying to squeeze himself through a narrow pipeline, swimming upwards.

"First a bloody Bagon threw me down here, then a good-for-nothing Marshtomp stuffed me into a drainage pipe, and now I'm swimming in...fish?"

A new disposal flood came heading for Miles, hitting him in the face. After the worst junk had passed, the little Feebas could vaguily make out the contours of something ahead.

"Blimey, it's a light! I've made it!"

– – – – –

"I love it when a plan comes together." Muddy stated with no small hint of satisfaction, drifting along on his back, paws folded behind his head. Willy was swimming in circles.

"Gee Muddy, is this really going to work? I mean, are you sure this is the right drainage pipe?"

"Course it is! Have a little more faith in me, Willy!" Muddy sighed.

Willy the Wailmer, however, had started to doubt the succes rate of this operation. He swam away from the pipes, and tried to get a better look at the building on the shore. He gasped.

"Holy macarel Batman, this ain't the Pokémon Center! It's a bar! It's a-"

– – – – –

"..._sushi_? Oh come on now!" Miles complained as he swam upwards, his small head emerging from the pipe. His world momentarily turned upside-down as he fell into some sort of disposal bin.

Was this...a kitchen?

The chef had just finished preparing a dish when something, in the corner of his eye, stirred. He turned to get a better look at whatever it was that had been stirring. There, jumping out of the waste disposal bin and onto the table was an icky, murky, stinking dirty _living_ Feebas, splashing about helplessly.

A fish. A living fish. And a dirty one, at that. In _his_ kitchen. Unforgivable!

"Blimey, that _hurt_!" Miles complained, now flopping across a table, trying to reach a water-filled sink. The lack of water kind of made it hard to breathe. He had barely managed to roll past a pile of dishes when suddenly, a blood-smuttered kitchen knife slammed into the cupboard only a few inches away.

Scared to death and beyond, Miles looked up to see an asian-looking chef cook raising up his knife for a second strike. Bellowing a fearsome warcry, the chef then lowered the knife a second time.

"Holy mother of Manaphy!" Miles screamed as he used his tiny fins to flop himself sideways. Using Splash to flop from one sink into the next one, Miles tried to avoid the various stabs coming his way. He was Splashing all throughout the kitchen whilst avoiding a flurry of thrown kitchen knives...

– – – – –

"Gee Muddy, that doesn't _sound_ very good..." Willy carefully noted, listening to the sounds coming through the drainage pipe. Screams, warcries, sounds of metal on metal and the occasional splash of water were all clearly audible.

"...you sure he's all right over there? I mean, it's a sushi bar after all..."

"He'll be fine." Muddy reassured his companion, "He might lose a fin or two, but nothing lethal."

Right at that moment, Miles came speeding through the drainage pipe, and crashed into the harbour waters with a loud splash. Trying to catch his breath, he gasped "He tried to kill me! That bloody bastard of a chef tried to bleeding chop me into bloody bite-sized sushi bits!"

Muddy rubbed his chin. "But did you get to contact Flame and the others?"

"No I bloody didn't! I was too bloody busy with not getting turned into a bloody meal! You sent me up into the wrong bloody building, bloody hell!"

"Gosh, Muddy, you sure screwed up this one." Willy noted, contributing to the conversation in his own special way.

"Meh, too bad. Let's try the next building." Muddy suggested, ignoring the complaints. He grabbed both of the other Water-Types by the fins and started dragging them along.

Unbeknown to him, however, the actions of the three Pokémon had unintentionally piqued the interest of some very hungry Sharpedo on the lookout for something to eat.

The shark-like predators went into battle formation, approaching their unawayre prey by starting to swim around them in circles...

– – – – -

Willy looked down when he felt a rough skin brush against his belly. It took the three Water-Types exactly two seconds to switch from carefree enjoyment to a complete and total state of panic.

"SHARKS!" Mudy explained, almost achieving liftoff as he swam in random directions at top speed.

"You'd better bloody not leave me behind, chap!" Miles roared, charging after the Marshtomp just as fast.

"Guys, don't leave me behind!" Willy wailed as he swam after them, the Sharpedo taking turns to try and take a bite out of Willy's behind.

Desparate for his own behind's survival, Muddy leaped out of the water and jumped into the nearest available escape route: a small window on the quay leading to a small basement located partially below sea level.

Seconds afterwards, Miles entered through the same window, which more closely resembled a porthole than an actual window, and crashed into crates scattered all throughout the basement.

Groaning, Muddy got back up, and looked around.

"Blimey Muddy, where in Lugia's name are we?" Miles demanded, already finding it difficult to breathe due to the sudden lack of hydrogen.

"D'know." the Marshtomp replied. "But it sure does smell nice over here."

Willy, still being chased by the Sharpedo pack, came crashing into the basement and taking half of the wall with him. As a result, the room soon got filled with salty sea water which came gushing in through the newly created Wailmer-shaped hole. Sharpedo came flooding in, as well.

"They're trying to freakin' eat me! Save meee!" Willy cried, proceeding to swim in circles with the carnivorous creatures following after him. Some of the Sharpedo turned to Muddy and Miles, who had been trying not to act too conspicuous, or delicious, uptil then.

It took Muddy and Miles only a few seconds to come up with a suitable response: "EAT HIM!" they both yelled, pointing at Willy and then, using their former friend as a distraction to jump into hiding behind floating crates.

"Guys! You're not leaving me here, are you? Hey! Guys! GUYS!" Willy screamed as more Sharpedo bared their teeth. Shiny teeth. Must be quite sharp, too.

Crates came crashing down – previously lined up against the wall but now, due to the sudden flood, not stable enough to maintain position. Everyone got buried underneath heaps of...what was inside of these crates, anyway?"

One of the crates broke open as it landed right in front of Muddy, revealing it's content: Pokéblocks. Big, shiny, juicy high-grade Pokéblocks. Muddy and Miles got buried underneath heaps and heaps of Pokéblocks.

"...now what?" Miles sighed, both figuratively and literally completely in the dark. "You got any ideas, chap?"

Muddy beamed with delight. "Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" he spoke, popping his knuckles. "Miles! Willy! It's chow time!"

– – – – –

Five minutes later, the three Pokémon came rushing out of the basement window, all completely stuffed.

"I'm full." Muddy stated, breathing heavily as he proceeded to float on his back, both hands on his belly.

"I don't feel so good." Willy admitted, swaying heavily. "Think I'm gonna...I'm gonna..." he added, before letting out a megaton burp.

Miles, however, seemed to be in top condition. Fresh, clean, and with little twinkling stars floating around him, he smiled. A wide, glamorous shiny smile. Muddy raised an eyebrow.

"Ey, Miles, I know this is coming from a guy, but... you look fabulous."

"I know, lad." Miles replied with a smile so sweet it could melt teeth.

With a flick of his left fin, Miles combed his dorsal fin flat.

"You look really pretty, Miles..." Willy mumbled, extending a fin towards the strangely beautiful Feebas. "...can I touch you?"

The partially collapsed wall leading towards the basement finally collapsed just as a few Sharpedo came rushing out. Muddy turned towards the few that weren't locked inside, and cast an angry glare at them.

Strangely enough, the Sharpedo suddenly turned around and made a break for it, scared to death by this surprisingly tough-looking Marshtomp.

Willy rubbed his head. "...why do I feel like wearing pink?"

– – – – –

That evening, one of the Lilycove Contest Hall's hired workers would get the hell scared out of him when he went down into the basement and found it messy, half-empty and completely flooded.

His fears of getting fired, however, soon changed into a hopeful gleam when he discovered a couple of the cutest Sharpedo he had ever seen.

Together with his newfound partners, he would go and write history as the world's first Sharpedo-using Cute Contest competitor. His legacy would get be passed down throughout the ages as the man who, despite his apparent lack of cute Pokémon, conquered every Cute Contest in the world without losing once.

But that's another story, for another time.

– – – – –

Please review~


	44. Out to Sea

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

CHAPTER 44: OUT TO SEA

"Let's go!" May cried enthusiastically, jumping on top of her newly evolved Milotic.

It was early in the morning, and our three favourite Trainers were preparing for the long oversea journey to Mossdeep City. Last night, after looking around town some more, brendan, May and Wally had returned to the Pokemon Center, only to find their room in a severe state of disorder and, for some strange reason, half soaked with salty sea water. Muddy, Miles and Willy, all tired and residing within their Pokeballs at that time, might've had something to do with that.

Strangely enough, though, Miles had evolved over the night. He had looked...glamorous, for some strange reason. But anyway, thanks to this unsuspected evolution, the Trainers were now able to travel to Mossdeep City. May was riding on top of beautifull Miles, while both Brendan and Wally tried to fit on top of Willy's back.

"Well, here goes..." Brendan mumbled, stuffing his shoes into his backpack. Then, he carefully let himself down from Lilycove's pier onto Willy's back, taking care not to get wet. "We're all set! Wally, let's go!" he then grinned.

Wally, however, wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was busy petting and attempting to hug Willy. Or as far as one could hug a round, whale-like creature the size of half a car whilst sitting on top of it.

Ever since last night, Willy's cute appeal had somehow skyrocketed. This had turned him, according to May who had been glomping him for over an hour straight, "The cutest Wailmer in existance."

A cheery red ribbon now adorned his forehead as proof.

"I love you, Willy!" Wally suddenly exclaimed, leaning forward to try and hug the Wailmer he was sitting on top of, causing him and Brendan to almost fall off.

"Wally, get a grip!" Brendan cried, grabbing the green-haired Trainer by his matching and equally green swimming trunks. Since they were going out to sea, and were bound to get soaked somewhere along the way, why not dress for the occasion? Wally was also wearing a white vest.

Brendan, likewise, was wearing swimming trunks as well. The standard red-with-black trunks he owned, along with a red sweater and, strangely, blue diving goggles perched on his forehead.

Brendan refused to explain why he was wearing them. May and Wally guessed he needed _something_ to keep his snow-white hair up.

"You two! You're slow!" May yelled from a short distance away, waiting for Wally and Brendan to follow her lead. She had also dressed for the occasion, wearing a light blue flower pattern-adorned shirt tied over her purple bikini, and with a matching ball-print purple bandana perched on top of her head. The bag she normally wore on her hip was wrapped around Miles' neck instead.

Miles continued to float about a bit with his Trainer on his back, while Brendan and Wally tried to regain their balance and catch up.

– – – – –

The journey that day turned out to be pretty uneventful. The three had lunch on a rock formation sticking out of the water, untill Brendan accidently drew the attention of a nearby Spheal, which ended in said Spheal chasing the Trainers off the rocky island, and claiming the Trainers' lunch as their own.

Wally faced off against a Gyarados, resulting in a sound victory for the green-haired Trainer when Thunder the Magnemite stuck one of his magnets up the giant sea serpent's nose, and sent 10.000 volts coarsing through the Gyarados' brain.

To Brendan and Wally's surprise, May spent most of her time sunbathing on Miles' back. The two young males didn't mind this in the least. Miles, however, had a different opinion. He wasn't some sort of ferrying service, and his back had start to hurt near the afternoon.

It wasn't untill well past six in the evening when the three came to the conclusion that it would take more then a day to reach Mossdeep by Surfing. So, they moored at a nearby island and called it a day. Except for some wild Wynaut roaming the area, the small tree-littered island was completely unhabitated.

"Seems like we got sent off course by that school of Tentacool." Wally pondered, "We must've drifted off southwards."

Since all of their rations had been eaten by Spheal earlier that day, Wally, May and Brendan had to come up with something else to heat. May decided it was time to teach the two boys how to fish. So here they were, all three sitting on the rocky beach, holding a makeshift branch-fishing rod with Berries acting as bait, in their hands.

"Nothing yet." Brendan reported, hauling in the wire and attaching a new Berry to the hook. With a wide swing, he flung the floater out to sea again.

"You had any luck so far?" the white-haired Trainer then called out to Wally and May, who were both sitting on different parts of the rocky beach.

"Nothing!" Wally sighed, putting the map he had been inspecting away and again focussing on the floater. He yawened. "I totally suck at fishing, you know."

"Another one!" May announced, pulling up her fishing rod.

"That's May's fifth one in less than an hour, and I still haven't caught anything..." Wally moaned.

Brendan laughed while wiping his nose. "Maybe she's just better at hooking things up than we are?"

Wally thought about that for a moment. He watched how May proceeded to haul her line in. "Hooking up, eh..." Wally then muttered, fantasizing for a moment.

Wally's wishfull thinking-bubble shattered the moment May pulled out a stick and started to beat the fish to death.

– – – – –

That evening, the meal consisted of roasted fish, all of them caught by May and most of them incinerated by Brendan shortly afterwards. The resulting absent quantities of evening meal got filled up with Berries picked from the abundant Berry plants and lots, _lots_ of fruits.

In order to test their lethality, most fruits had first been fed to Lightning. The idea had been Flame's. As a result, it was now Lightning's time to turn bright green. Thus, the Manetric was laying back underneath a tree, trying his best not to return his stomach's content to the world.

The sun descended, the moon rose up, and soon, everyone was sleeping soundly.

Well, not everyone. Brendan turned around in his sleeping bag, then turned around again. He couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about all kinds of things: their journey, the fact that it wouldn't be much longer untill they reached Mossdeep, then Sootopolis, then the League...then what?

Brendan burried his face into his sleeping back, and sighed. His thoughts, for some reason, kept returning to the person sleeping in the tent next to his' and Wally's.

"Focus, Brendan!" the snowy white-haired Trainer told himself. He needed something to divert his attention. Seeking this as of yet unknown diversion, Brendan turned his head to the right, and with only the scarce moonlight illuminating the tent's insides, he could just make out his belt's contours.

Sitting up straight, he pulled the belt torwards him and inspected the equipment attached to it. His PokeNav read 22:34. The object placed next to the PokeNav shone brightly. It was the Red Orb, though it more closely resembled ruby, according to Brendan.

An unholy fire burned brightly inside of it. It made Brendan wonder...

Without making a sound, he slipped out of his sleeping bag, carefully stepped over Wally, who was hugging his pillow in his sleep. Brendan put on his sneakers, and opened the tent's entrance.

Once outside, Brendan looked around, only to find all of their Pokemon sleeping soundly. Next to the tent, Muddy was laying flat on his back, mouth wide open and drooling out of the cornerof his mouth.

Lightning lay curled up on Muddy's belly, his tail in danger of being swallowed by Muddy every time the Marshtomp inhaled. Axl was leaning against Muddy's head, being drooled upon. Shade was nowhere to be found.

May's Pokemon were all fast asleep as well. Most of them had climbed into a tree before going to sleep or, in the case of Shine and Miles, had curled up underneath. Shine was using Miles' long, floppy ears as a pillow. Judging by Miles' sleeping expression, the Milotic didn't like this much.

Wally's trusted companions had all sought refuge in a single tree, with only Sol staying down on the ground, snoring loudly.

Brendan smiled, bent forward, dragged Axl out of Muddy's drool pile, and put the tiny Bagon down onto the damp grass next to it. "Damn bugg'rs...wast'n perf'ctly goo' ale...crivens..." Axl whispered while trying to headbutt his non-existant enemy.

A few minutes' walk down to the island's small stream, Brendan sat down on a large builder, and held the belt, which he had taken along with him, in front of his face. He inspected the strange ball attached to the belt's end, and took it off, putting the belt down beside him. This had been the ball that those shady guys at Lilycove had been after.

"What's that?" Brendan mumbled, holding the ball closer to his face. "C-i-pher?" he read out loud, having noticed the small print on the ball's side. He remembered that criminal-looking guy back at Lilycove calling him 'Cipher Bastard'.

...maybe he was after some guy called Cipher? Or could it be a family name?

Brendan reached out to grab something to hit the ball with. Maybe it'd reveal something if he'd hit it with-

"Couldn't sleep?" a very familiar, warm voice called out from somewhere behind Brendan's back. He could hear footsteps, coming closer. Instinctively, Brendan tried to hide what he was holding – in this case the Cipher ball – in his pocket.

It was only now that Brendan realised he wasn't wearing anything except for a thin sleeveless shirt and his boxers – the climate over here didn't allow for much more during the evenings.

A tender hand folded it's fingers around Brendan's waist. May's face appeared somewhere above Brendan's head.

"Why are you holding that up?" she asked, inspecting the thing Brendan had carelessly picked up and raised above his head to hit the aforementioned Cipher ball with. There, above his shoulder, in the hand May had folded her fingers around, was the Red Orb.

"I-" Brendan started, trying to come up with a logical explanation. Why was he holding that thing up, again?

"Ah, so you're spacing out again?" May then sighed with a smile, letting go of Brendan's arm and sitting down next to him on the cold stone. May wasn't wearing that much either, Brendan noticed. Just a casual outfit for the average near sub-tropical night. A pink sleeveless-

Brendan turned red, and looked away. He was unsure of what to say, for some reason. It wasn't like this was the first time they talked. Hell, it wasn't even the first time he had met up with her alone in the middle of the night. But why now?

What he did know was that he'd have to say something, fast. Keep the conversation going. But he didn't want to disgrace himself by appearing rushed-

"You all right?" May asked.

Brendan didn't notice he had been frowning deeply while contemplating all of this. "Eh, yeah, of course!" Brendan reassured her after a moment's thought. "I'm fine! Totally and completely fine, me!"

May bent forward a bit more to get a better look at Brendan's face. "Really? You seem kind of down. Sure you don't want to talk about something, tell me anything?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Brendan grinned, sweatdrops appearing on his forehead and prompting him to look away.

Why the hell did she keep asking questions like that? Brendan asked himself. As Brendan continued to ponder and avoid eye contact, May looked down in bewilderment. Why was he acting so distant all of a sudden? It felt like he didn't intend to, didn't _want_ to trust her...and it hurt her, as a friend.

Both Trainers sighed at the same time, and wondered why the hell the other one was sighing.

Why was (s)he so stubborn? Seriously!

Then, slowly, May began to turn a deep shade of red after noticing something.

"...you really sure?" she asked, looking rather disturbed.

"Yes, I am really sure, May!" Brendan spoke, a little bit louder than he had wanted to. "I'm perfectly fine!"

May raised an eyebrow, then her finger. "Then what's up with _that_?"

Brendan looked down. When he, about a minute ago, had tried to hide the Cipher Ball from May, trying to stuff it into his non-existant pants' pockets, he actually hid the thing inside of his boxers, where it settled between...his...

May looked away fromt he huge lump in Brendan's boxers. Her face was now just as red as the Orb Brendan had been holding up seconds earlier. "You...eh..."

First, Brendan's face was one of disbelief. Then, after cursing any random deity he could think of, his expression turned into extreme horror. Out of al the things that could be misunderstood-!

"You'd...I'd better get back to bed!" May finally managed to say, quickly getting up and turning around. "SeeyoutomorrowBrendan!" she summerised as she started to walk.

A tiny voice inside of Brendan's head kept screaming "Do something! Do something! DAMN YOU MUTTLEY, DO SOMETHING!"

"It's not what it seems to be!" Brendan cried, jumping up and grabbing May's arm to prevent her from leaving before he had a chance to explain.

Now, a little bit of fear could be detected on May's face. "Brendan, I don't-"

Brendan's mind went into overdrive. He had to explain, act, do something, NOW.

"It's all a big misunderstanding!" he exclaimed. Then, he came up with a way to explain. He let go of May's arm.

"Just look!" Brendan cried, pulling his boxers down.

Silence.

Absolute _silence_.

The only thing that temporarily broke the silence was a faint 'thud' as the Cipher Ball rolled out of Brendan's boxers, which were now at knee level, and onto the cold beach floor down below.

Except for that ssmall interruption, the silence was absolute.

Then, May coughed, and said "You can pull them up now."

Brendan did so. "Look, it was just-"

"Yeah, I get it. Sorry, my mistake."

"I didn't mean to make you think-"

"No, really, it's my mistake-"

"Didn't want to hurt you-"

"It's fine, I just overreacted a bit-"

"I'm sorry if I-"

"No, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry."

The awfull silence settled again, as the two young Trainers found themselves to have ran out of words, instead choosing to both look in different directions while blushing madly.

They could hear Axl's loud snoring from here.

Brendan crouched to pick up the Cipher Ball. When he got back up, he scratched the back of his head and said: "Look, it's not strange if you don't understand-"

"No, I understand completely!" May suddenly said, pointing a finger at brendan's rural area.

The white-haired Trainer was taken abak by this. "What?"

"Genius, pure genius, Brendan!" May nodded, "Hiding that ball in there! I mean, you need to keep it safe, right?"

"I do?" Brendan asked dumb-wittedly. "Wait, yeah, you're right, yes I do!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"phew, glad that's all sorted out."

"Totally."

"Yeah."

"Hm."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

"No, I am!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"How about we stop apologizing at the same time?" Brendan then proposed.

"That's good." May agreed. "So, eh,"

"Well..."

"Umm..."

"Eh..."

"We'll reach Mossdeep tomorrow, won't we?" Brendan then finally asked. He was desparate to change the subject. Luckily for him, it worked.

"We'd better!" May smiled. "I'm not gonna catch fish for all three of us again!"

"...I could help preparing them."

"That's not the point! Besides, fish alone isn't very healthy."

"Really?"

"Totally. Look, what's important is that you take things in moderation and-"

Both Trainers sat down again. There, on the rocks, looking out at the sea illuminated by a crescent moon and a thousand tiny glittering stars, the brown-haired Trainer had the white-haired Trainer's full attention as she explained things.

The male raised up a finger. "But I always thought that..."

"You're wring, it's all about..."

Both Trainers smiled. Both Trainers laughed. Both Trainers kept talking to each other about casual things for more than an hour straight, enjoying each other's company and the time they spent together.

Then, finally, Brendan held a hand in front of his mouth and yawned.

"So now we've _got_ to go visit the health store in Mossdeep! After visiting the Gym, of course. I head the Leader uses Psychic Types and-" May ranted, before stopping to suppress a yawn as well.

"It's getting late." Brendan mumbled, letting himself fall backwards, laying down on the rocks flat on his back, arms crossed behind his head.

"It already _is_ late, you don't need a watch for that." May joked. "Maybe we should be getting back to bed-"

Brendan inhaled, closed his eyes for a moment, then decided. "May?" he asked.

"Hm? What is it, Brendan?" May replied, looking at him over her shoulder with a surprised expression on her face, sapphire eyes glistering in the moonlight.

Brendan felt like asking something stupid. "Do you ever get homesick?"

May frowned. She thought about this for a moment. "...sometimes. But why're you asking, you've only been in Littleroot for almost a day before we left."

"It's not just th ehouse, it's about friends and family, too." Brendan replied, his field of view again turning to the stars above.

"...so do you miss them?" May then finally asked. Silence reigned for a few more seconds.

"My mom used to give me a goodnight kiss." Brendan whispered. "Never really considered it anything special uptill recently."

An amused smile appeared on May's lips. "What are you gettting at, Brendan?"

"That I can't sleep without one?" Brendan suggested innocently.

"Fair enough." May sighed, bending forward.

The distance between their faces began to decrease rapidly. Brendan could see it come closing in, May's face, her small nose, warm lips, eyes almost closed...

May's lips brushed against Brendan's forehead.

"Goodnight, Brendan." she told him with a smug grin.

With an action that was half instinct, half...other instincts, Brendan answered by giving May a peck on the cheek.

"Good night."

Later, when Brendan was again laying inside of his sleeping bag, Brendan realised he had been lying.

_Now_, he couldn't sleep.

– – – – –

Can't believe I wrote this two years ago. It's just so...err...welll...y'know.

Will try to keep the stuff coming! Please review!


	45. Double Duelling

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!

CHAPTER 45: DOUBLE DUELLING

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've arrived in Mossdeep City!" Muddy announced, putting his paws against his sides and nodding while Brendan tried to get off Wally's Wailmer without slipping and dropping into the water.

Miles soon joined up, May now assisting Wally with trying to get Brendan off.

"Pretty dandy place it seems. Why're we here, again?" the Milotic questioned, looking around.

"For the mad dancing clubs, of course!" Alt explained, popping up out of nowhere, pumped to get going. "Mossdeep's got one of the finest dancing clubs in all of Hoenn! Even I know that, and I can't even read!"

"Dancing, huh..." Kirlia mumbled, also inspecting the area.

By now, Brendan, despite Wally and May's best efforts, had slipped, and landed in the salty sea water head-first, a loud SPLASH accompanying him.

"Ain't there s'pposed ta be a Gym 'roond 'ere?" Axl questioned, scratching his back. "Crivens, that sea trip broke me back...I need a cure. Anyone's go' some lavend'r, chick'n greece and a suppository?"

Flame the Combusken gasped, horrified by the notion of chicken greece. "What the hell do you need that for, Axl?"

"What, teh suppository? 's no' all tha' difficult, ye just stick it-" Axl began to explain.

Wally recalled Willy while May handed Brendan a towel. Racketing his drenched head with said piece of cloth, Brendan's face appeared from underneath the Goldeen-print towel, his white hair hanging down in strands over his headband.

"What time is it?" he asked, wiping away some droplets dripping down his ear before taking off the headband and drying his hair hastly.

Wally searched his pockets, and produced the PokeNav. "Half past three." he cited, before flipping the device shut and returning it to his pants' pocket. "More than enough time to go sightseeing-"

"I wanna go visit the Space Center!" May interrupted, already inspecting the town's layout.

"...or visit the local Gym." Wally finished. "That's what you're after, right?" he then added, looking from May, who had already dug up her camera, to Brendan, who was still rinsing his sleeves.

"Right?" Wally repeated, a little bit louder, to get the other two's attention. Neither of them looked like they were ready to face Mossdeep's Gym Challenge.

"Of course, we could also try visiting Mossdeep's dancing clubs. I heard they're quite an experience..."

Then, suddenly, May turned around and declared "We're off to the Gym!", before charging off towards the center of town.

"Good idea!" Brendan cheered, putting his shirt back on while pursuing May.

Wally scratched the back of his head. "What's up with them?"

– – – – –

Arriving at the Gym, which, for some strange reason was locked, May tried to magically make the door open through excessive shouting. This strategy turned out to be ineffective.

"So, what about that disco?" Flame asked curiously.

"DISCO FEVAH, BABY!" Muddy suddenly screamed, appearing from out of nowhere behind the Combusken's back. He was wearing funky blackglasses, for some strange reason.

Half scared to death by the Marshtomp's sudden appearance, Flame jumped away and cried "Don't scare me like that!"

Muddy, however, ignored the Fire-Type's complaints and kept shouting random nonsense like "WE'RE GONNA ROCK ON, COZ THE NIGHT IS YOUNG!"

"Ignore him, it's better if you leave him alone." Kirlia advised, looking away while Muddy started to execute a pelvis swivel.

Meanwhile, Brendan, May and Wally were still waiting for the Gym's door to open.

"Man, where did they go?" May complained, leaning against the building's door. Then, shomewhere to their left, another door got slammed open. Another large building stood next to the Gym. It seemed to have been put there recently.

"So that's Mossdeep's new dance club?" Wally mumbled, looking up from his map to see where all the ruckus was coming from.

"_That_ is the famous B. Club?" Brendan replied, holding his head to the side a bit while giving the building a closer look. Actually, it resembled a giant disco ball more than an actual building. A disco ball sticking three quarters out of the ground. Painted red and white, with the dividing vertical line in the middle. Was this supposed to resemble a Pokeball?

Spotlights illuminated every inch of the giant ball's surface, as well. Someone was getting yelled at near the entrance, it seemed.

"That's why I'm telling you!" a somewhat childish young boy said.

"Turn down the volume some more!" what appeared to be the buy's twin sister finished.

Both of them had similar faces, outfits, hairstyles. Even the way they stood, slightly leaning on one leg, was exactly the same.

The guy they were talking to was tall. _Very_ tall. Like, extremely lanky, with a dark blue outfit which exposed a little bit too much of his chest. He also wore platform soles and some of the ugliest sunglasses May had ever seen. Oh, and what appeared to be a miniature version of the dancing hall on top of his head; a bigarse afro as least just as tall as the guy was.

The man let out a short, high laugh and spoke "But that would make me go off-beat! Miror B. needs da loudest, baddest and funkiest tunes to display dance moves like this!" after which the guy calling himself Miror B. showed off some horrible dance moves.

"But thanks to that," the small girl started.

"Grampa and grandma and the other elderly people at the nursing home can't sleep at night!" her brother finished.

"Hell if I care, kiddo." Miror B. sniffed, before slamming the door shut. Immediately, the girl dropped her innocent act and charged at the door. It took all of her brother's strength to restrain her and keep her from kicking in said door.

"Let go of me!" the girl cried, struggling to break free.

"But you're going to kill him!" her brother, who had grabbed her around the waist and tried to keep her away from the door. "Liza, don't do it! We're Gym Leaders, we're not supposed to be doing things like this!"

"Tate, you've got three seconds-"

"To let go of you, yes, I know."

May decided to draw some attention by coughing. Both of the twins turned towards her and at once, the girl aborted her struggle to assault the building. Her brother, in turn, let go of his sister.

May looked from one sibling to the other, then back. "Eh...you're the Gym Leader?" she then finally asked while facing the girl, who seemed to be the most hotheaded of the two.

This hotheadedness, however, had already disappeared. "Yes, we are." she replied, turning towards her brother to finish the sentence. Which he did.

"Do you wish to challenge us?" he questioned.

"Eh, yes, we do." May replied, grabbing Brendan by the neck and pulling him over. May felt uncomfortable, having to deal with these two on her own.

"Brendan and I would like to challenge this town's Gym Leaders." she stated.

– – – – –

A few minutes later, Brendan and May were standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a wide, open place used for battling inside of Mossdeep's Gym. On the other side of the field, Liza and Tate were standing, both holding a Pokeball in on hand.

The twins scraped their throats.

"It's been a while since we last got two challenges at the same time, so..."

"We'll have a Double Battle! Every Trainer is allowed to send out..."

"Only one Pokemon. No time limits."

"You ready?"

– – – – –

Along the side of the field, some benches placed against the walls had been occupied by both junior and senior Mossdeep citizens. Wally was sitting among them.

"Go Tate! Show those punks who's boss!" a kid from kindergarten yelled while sitting on his grandma's lap.

"Kick their lights out, sonny!" said grandma roared, swinging her walking stick around.

Wally ducked to avoid an astray stick swing. "Supporters...or hooligans?" he muttered, an anime-style sweatdrop appearing on the side of his head. They all seemed awfully enthusiastic.

"Um, are you all big fans of the local Gym Leaders?" Wally asked innocently.

The person sitting next to him snickered. A large bucket of popcorn obstructed Wally's field of view, preventing him from seeing the person's face.

"Hell no, we're just here to see the show." he grinned, munching popcorn. "But I heard this Gym's supporters got framed for gravely injuring the last challengers. The culprit was a grandpa, if I remember correctly. Wonder what's going to happen this time."

"Oh, you mean the Mossdeep Stick Slaughterer?" another voice questioned from behind the popcorn bag. A female voice. "According to the news, some old geezer went bezerk and molested a Trainer after challenging the Gym. The article didn't even mention if he won or not. All it said was that the doctors needed five hours to retrieve a walking stick from...Razor you're not eating all of that popcorn on your own, are you?"

"Who, me? Oh, sorry, have some!" the guy replied, shifting positions.

The sounds of munching behind the humongous popcorn bucket increased. Wally suddenly found the view of elderly people with walking sticks watching the battle to be a lot less friendly.

"By the way, I heard these kids're Psychic-Type users!"

"Really? Haven't seen that since we visited Saffron..."

Wally didn't hesitate, stood up and shouted "May! Brendan! They're using Psychic Types!"

– – – – –

Both Trainers used Wally's intel to their advantage as they called out their Pokemon.

"Come on Shine, let's go!" May cried, her thick-skinned Lairon soon appearing from it's Pokeball, letting out a mighty roar as it prepared for battle.

Brendan's choice, however, wasn't that easy. He didn't have any Pokemon that would offer a direct advantage, so... "Take it to 'em, Shade!" he yelled, throwing his Duskull's Pokeball into the ring with a wide swing.

"Solrock!"

"Lunatone!"

"GO!" both of the Gym Leaders cried, their battling partners soon materializing on the battlefield.

"Brendan, why'd you pick that new Duskull?" May hissed, "You've never even used it in battle before!"

Brendan leaned in closer while whispering "It's the only Pokemon I have with a Typ advantage over Psychic Types!"

As the Gym Leaders' Lunatone and Solrock appeared, May sighed. "You should've picked Muddy or something." she added.

On the other side of the field, Liza and Tate prepared for battle. Linking hands, they turned to face Brendan and may, opening their mouths to say "Let the battle commence!"

As the Gym Leader Battle Theme started to play, the four Pokemon charged.

"Shine, Take Down!" May ordered, while Brendan tried to recall his Duskull's moveset. He failed horribly in doing so.

Liza and Tate closed their eyes, a mysterious purple glow surrounding them. "Cosmic Power!" both cried at the same time, a similar aura enveloping the Leaders' Pokemon.

Shine lunged, trying to crush both of his opponents with his massive weight. In mid-jump, however, he suddenly came to a standstill, inches from Solrock's face. Both Psychic Types were using their powers to keep the lairon suspended in the air.

"Shine's stuck! Brendan, do something!" May cried, seeing her Pokemon in trouble.

"I'm trying!" Brendan answered, racketing his brain for the Duskull's moveset. "I've got it! Shade, use Night Shade!"

The twins interfered. Just as Shine tried to Metal Claw the opponent hovering in front of him, both Leaders whispered "Psywave."

Shine, with his Metal Claws on the ready, suddenly got launched backwards by a combined psychic blast and crashed into Shade. Both Pokemon fell to the floor, and though the attack itself hadn't hurt Shine much, Shade sustained some serious injuries when the Lairon's claws accidentally cut _him_, instead.

"May, you're not helping!" Brendan snarled. "Shade, try Night Shade again!"

The Duskull, though injured badly, managed to get back up and fire a dark purpleenergy wave at his opponents.

"Liza!" Tate cried out, his sister answering "I'm on it! Protect, Lunatone!"

The moon-like Pokemon quickly moved forward and cast a grey energy barrier, protecting both him and the Solrock next to him from harm. Shade's Night Shade impacted on the shield, inflicting no damage at all.

Meanwhile, Shine managed to crawl back up out of the crater created when he got slammed into the floor seconds earlier. He roared, and charged forward a second time.

May decided to use the situation to her advantage, the Gym Leader's Pokemon being in a defensive position after blocking the Night Shade. "Shine, Metal Claw!"

"Solrock, Psybeam!" Tate ordered, his Pokemon rising up the moment he received this order, and blasted the Lairon backwards over the Lunatone's defensive barrier.

Now, Brendan tried to make use of the situation. "Shade, Shadow Sneak on Solrock!"

Though Shade did manage to outrun the Psychic-Type to get the first strike, the Duskull couldn't prevent Lunatone from jumping in the way with it's Protect barrier still activated.

This pattern went on for a few minutes, both Brendan and May attacking as soon as they got the chance, only to see their attacks get deflected by the Gym Leaders' sound teamwork.

Solrock and Lunatone's attack pattern started to become repetive; every single time one of them attacked, the other one dealt with deflecting incoming attacks.

– – – – –

Back at the benches, where Mossdeep's supporters were cheering for the Gym's victory, the blond-haired guy sitting next to Wally sighed.

"They're totally not cooperating." he spoke, seeing how May ordered Shine to Protect himself against a combined Psychic attack, causing both Psychic-Types to aim their attack at defenseless Shade, instead.

"You're right." the girl sitting next to him replied, "If only they'd try and attack together..."

"At this rate, they'll get their you-know-whats handed to them. You want me to go get some more popcorn, Nina?"

"...you do know that makes you fat, right?" Nina remarked, crossing her arms and casting a worried expression in his direction. "And I don't want my boyfriend to look like a Grumpig."

Razor looked down into his now empty popcorn bucket. "...can't I just be a slender Grumpig?"

"No."

Razor let his head hang down. "D'aww. Oh well, the battle's almost finished, anyway. Oi! You two! Whitey-head and bandana girl, pay attention! You've got to start put up a better fight! Try teaming up for a change! Oi! You listening to me? "

"Come on, put your entire heart into it!" Nina joined in, standing up. "And give us some romantic action over here!"

– – – – –

Tate and Liza had now linked both hands, discussing and timing their moves telepathically.

"Solrock, Flash." one of the two siblings shouted, the other one ordering "Lunatone, roll and Rock Slide."

First, Solrock released a bright burst of light, blinding Shade, and preventing him from using his Shadow Ball. Immediately thereafter, the Lunatone spun around to dodge Shine's lunge and fired a burst of solid rocks straight into Shade's unexpecting face.

Eyes glowing, Tate sent another telepathic message. Liza squeezed her brother's hand as she sent a reply.

"Solrock, Rock Throw."

"Lunatone, Disable on the Lairon."

Brendan had broken into a sweat. At this rate, they were going to get trashed. And trashed badly, at that. "May! Stop using that Metal Claw!" he snarled as Shine, who had been hit by a Confusion, was now attempting to attack Shade as well.

"Thanks to that, we're losing!" Brendan added, as the Lairon managed to slash the Duskull's side.

May was stressing out as well, even though Shine wasn't nearly as damaged as Shade was. In fact, the two planetary object-like Pokemon had barely managed to damage her Lairon at all, thanks to her type advantage. Still, this didn't prevent her from lashing out at Brendan, as well.

"You're not much of a help, either!" she yelled back, irritated by the fact that Brendan was foolishly attacking on his own instead of backing her up.

Some crazy guy sitting at the tribune kept yelling about the battle's lack of romance. A blood vein becoming apparent on her forehead, May yelled "You shut up!" in his general direction.

Brendan, who had just opened his mouth to speak, was taken aback. "'Shut up'? You're telling me to shut up?"

"I was talking to that idiot on the sideline! Mind your own business!"

"Mind your own business, eh?" Brendan with a high-pitched voice, "_You_ pay more attention to this battle! We're getting trashed here, thanks to you and your 'business'!"

"...the hell Brendan? You're the one who can't make use of his Duskull! At least _I'm _attacking!"

"Say what?"

"You heard me! You're can't even use your Pokemon correctly! You're a lousy Trainer!"

Brendan was about to erupt in a rage when a bone-shattering crash caught everyone's attention. With a wide arc, Solrock lifted Shine up into th eair with it's Psychic powers, swung th epoor Lairon up over his head, and then slammed Shine down onto the ground in front of him.

At the same time, Lunatone kept Shade in place, who had repeatedly tried to Shadow Ball his opponent, with a quickly cast energy barrier.

Solrock, finished dealing with the now badly injured Shine, suddenly appeared above Shade and hit him hard on the head with a close-range Rock Tomb.

The Duskull came crashing down next to Shine, whose thick armor-like hide had cracks all over it. Neither of the two Pokemon moved.

"It's over." Liza and Tate spoke simultaneously.

– – – – –

Such a stupid cliffhanger, don't you think? Actually, most of the last few chapters are all just one really long chapter. But since they're so much ridiculously more long than the earlier chapters, I've started to cut these superlong chapters into two or more shorter chapters. Hope you don't mind too much!

Please review!


	46. Dramatic Double Duelling

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!

CHAPTER 46: DRAMATIC DOUBLE DUELLING

May and Brendan were aghast.

"Shine? Can you hear me?" May called out, preparing to rush over at a moment's notice. "Talk to me Shine, say something!"

Brendan had started to yell, as well. "Shade! Try to move! Can you hear me? Shade?"

Back on the bench, Razor shook his head and stood up. "You two didn't cooperate enough! A couple's supposed to listen to each other y'know!" he explained, before hesitating. "At least, that's what the therapy guy told us, and-"

"What this guy is trying to say here," Nina called out, silencing Razor with a bag of popcorn before taking over his speech, "Is that you need to stop being egocentrical and start being _sensible._ I'm sure you two would put up a better fight if you'd at least listen to each other."

"That's what-" Liza stated, her brother joining in to finish "We do."

"Cooperating," said Tate, "That is." Liza spoke.

Shine groaned, and tried to get up. All he managed to achieve, however, was rolling onto his side. Shade still hadn't moved.

"I-" Brendan began, turning towards his so-called partner, but still staring down at the ground. They had been beaten, and it was his fault. He had kept attacking, not paying any attention to May's moves.

"...I'm sorry, May." he spoke quietly.

"No, I'm sorry." May instantly answered, not wanting Brendan to take the blame. She had been the one who only focussed on the opponent, without any regard for-

"I said I'm sorry."

"_I'm_ sorry."

"Sorry."

May was also staring down at the ground.

"Idiot." she whispered, blinking furiously. "You're the one who told me to stop apologizing last night!"

– – – – –

Back at the tribune, Wally suddenly started choking on the straw of his coke, spewing half of is mouth's content all over Razor's face. "Last night? What happened last night?" he cried. Some granny told him to be quiet.

– – – – –

Brendan bit his lip. "...well, that was different. A completely different situation, with different reasons for apologizing."

May started to sniff. "And why was it so different?" she asked.

"...well I didn't have my pants on..." Brendan muttered, looking away.

– – – – –

"...pants." Wally whispered, cradling his chest before passing out. Razor only barely managed to catch the green-haired Trainer and haul him back into his seat. "Hey, you all right? You still with us? Hey!"

– – – – –

Shade coughed once, it's one eye moving upwards in a vain attempt to get himself airbourne again. But he couldn't get up, he hadn't recovered from the last blow.

"Stop talking like that!" May told Brendan, "This is completely- This is- You're telling me to stop, and I- I'm- I'm sorry." she whispered, looking down as something wet trailed down her cheek.

Shine whimpered, but couldn't even get to move his head up. That last attack had injured him far greater than all of the attacks directed at Shade throughout the entire battle.

"No it's not!" Brendan argued, "It's my fault for not listening to you!" he declared, looking up to reveal that there were tears in his eyes, as well.

– – – – –

Nina produced a handkerchief from nowhere, and blew her nose with it.

"...so touching..." she sniffed, before turning to her boyfriend. "Razor, hold me tight!"

"Who, me? Sorry, I'm occupied with greenhead at the moment!"

– – – – –

"You're wrong!" May partially yelled, partially sobbed. "If I had been a better strategist, Shine and Shade wouldn't...wouldn't have-"

"N-No! May, you were doing great! I'm the one to blame for- it's not your fault!"

By now, tears from the two Trainers had started to drip down onto the floor. Both Gym Leaders and spectators kept quiet as the drama unfolded.

May's legs gave away, and she fell down to her knees, using both hands to try and keep her tears in tow. "Shine, Shine is-!"

Completely at a loss what to do, Brendan took a few steps forward and got down to his knees, as well. With a vision blurred by tears, he embraced May.

"...sorry."

May returned the hug, burying her face into Brendan's shoulder. The white-haired Trainer did likewise, burying his head in May's neck.

"...sorry."

"...sorry."

– – – – –

Nina squeeled, and almost strangled Razor as she continued to hug him by the neck.

"Like, soooo cute!" she exclaimed. "I wanna take them home!"

Wally opened his eyes, he was coming by. Unfortunately for him, the first thing he happened to see was Brendan and may embracing each other tightly.

Wally fainted again.

– – – – –

As the two Trainers continued to comfort each other, wipe off their tears and pat each other on the back, the sobbing slowly subsided. Brendan backed off a bit, and looked into May's eyes. May looked back into his'.

"...May, I'm sorry."

May brushed away a lone tear. "I told you to stop saying that. Next time, we'll-"

"Team up and win? Brendan finished for her.

"Yeah. Next time." May nodded.

"Next time."

Both Brendan and May looked up with surprised faces and exclaimed "What?"

The male Gym Leader sighed. "I mean, your Lairon might be near fainting, but your Duskull is still good to go." the female Gym Leader explained, her brother joining in to add "The dirty cheater."

The two Trainers looked at their Pokemon. On top of wheezing Shine sat Shade, a yellow blurry mark right underneath his skull mask, just about where his mouth should be. Out of nowhere, with a mouth that shouldn't even exist, Shade produced a foul grin.

Earlier on, Shade had used Thief to steal Solrock's Sitrus berry, held onto it, and had now eaten it. Somehow.

In other words, the match wasn't over yet. Brendan's jaw dropped to the floor, May's joining him seconds thereafter.

"So...it's not over yet?" May concluded.

"...and you were just waiting there for us to finish?" Brendan added.

"Sort of." Liza answered, while Tate spoke "Kind of."

The twins cast odd glances at each other for a second.

Razor raised his hands to his mouth, and shouted "Get on with the battle already!"

Silence.

A dustbowl passed by.

Then, both May and Brendan's faces lit up bright red like stars going supernova. Did they just cry and go dramatic over _this_? They were 17-years olds, for cripes' sake! The battle wasn't over yet!

By now, the crowd had started to clap their hands and shout "We want more! We want more!"

Blushing like they had never blushed before, the two young Trainers stood up. They ignored the extreme embarassment, since there was something more important going on now. They had to win.

Both Trainers took a step away, only to find something pulling their arms. They were still holding hands. Judging from her facial expression, Brendan concluded that May didn't mind. Brendan found himself unable to let go of May's hand, as well.

Both of them stared at their entangled hands for a moment, unsure what to do. May looked up at Brendan with a flustered look, blushing. Brendan returned the look.

"...just a little bit longer, okay?"

"Okay."

"Let's finish this!" Brendan then announced loudly, facing the Gym Leaders and boldly taking a step forward. At the exact same time, May took a step forward, as well.

"Brendan, I hope you know what you're doing." May hissed under her breath.

"I do! Shade, Pain Split on Shine!" Brendan ordered, the Duskull sitting on top of the badly injured Lairon glowing for a moment as he shared some of his hit points with Shine. Letting out a loud grunt, the Lairon shook his neck, and got up. Both Pokemon, however, were still nowhere near peak performance.

"We've only got one chance." Brendan whispered.

"Let's make it count." May answered with a smile.

Shade's eye was now shifting from one opponent to the other, as an eerie glow started to envelop his body. Shine snorted, stamped his foot, and prepared to charge.

"Together." May and Brendan spoke, more like an acknowledgement than a proposal.

The twins on the opposite side of the field both bursted into wide grins.

"Yes, let's finish this. Solrock-"

"-Lunatone, Cosmic Power!"

Cheering on the side benches increased in volume. Nina and Razor were now waving 'LOVE & PEACE' banners, while the rest of the crowd screamed for Liza and Tate's victory.

Brendan and May both bent forward a bit, and glared at each other. For a moment, they argued about who was going first, but luckily for them and everyone else inside of the Gym, they soon settled this argument with the word "Together."

"We'll go first!" Liza suddenly cried, "Lunatone, Psybeam!"

"Solrock, Assist!"

Both Psychic-Types charged as they launched huge purple beams of energy at Shine and Shade.

"Shine, Protect!" May ordered, pointing one arm forward, still holding Brendan's with the other. The Lairon projected a large barrier of light from his mouth, while Shade hurried to get behind his partner.

May's lips moved. Brendan nodded. "Shade, Payback!"

Shade the Duskull turned etherical for a moment, passing straight through Shine as he charged at Solrock. Raising up one of his tiny hands in a punching motion, he lunged at the Psychic-Type.

Tate was quick to give his Pokemon the order to dodge by moving backwards, but in doing so, he forgot to pay attention to the other opponent.

"Shine, Metal Claw!"

Letting out a bloodthirsty roar, Shine suddenly came charging _through_ Shade, who had acted as a mere distraction. Having passed through his ally, the Lairon then changed his forepaws into sharp, metal cutting tools and jumped right on top of the unsuspecting Solrock.

Who got slammed onto the floor, with Shine right on top of him. Solrock tried to get away by levitating himself again.

"Don't give him the opportunity! Shine, Headbutt!"

Solrock got slammed righ tback into the floor when a rock-hard head bashed itself into his face.

"Liza, help me out!" Tate cried as his Pokemon got trashed. "Hurry!"

Liza gasped, and tried to come up with an agreeable solution. "Lunatone, um, Lunatone, Psybeam!"

"Brendan!" May urged, seeing how her Lairon was wide open.

"I'm on it!" he replied, also raising up his unoccupied arm. Their fingers entangled even more. "Shade, stop Lunatone with Confuse Ray!"

As fast as he could, Shade moved in between Lunatone and it's target, a surprisingly large wave of Psychic force appearing and being fired in his direction.

Shade's one eye began to glow, and as Shine continued to rend Solrock with his teeth, Lunatone's vision suddenly went blurry and, as a result, the Psywave went wildly off course, plasting a hole into the ground a few meters away from it's intended target.

As the Lunatone continued to spin around wildly while trying to find his balance, Solrock was struggling to get that Lairon off his back.

"Solrock, use Psychic to get him off!" Tate shouted.

"Follow Me!" Brendan cried in an attempt to buy May some more time. Shade took the mind blast head-on. Literally, since an attack to the psyche always hit you in the head. The Duskull came crashing down onto the floor, his one eye ceasing to glow.

This move, however, gave May all the time she needed to finish things off.

"Shine, Earthquake!" she ordered, now holding hands with Brendan in a different pose. Namimgnly, with their backs against each other, both hands still down and entangled, like a badly imitated Power Ranger duo.

Anyway, she ordered Shine to use Earthquake. Which was exactly what he did, breaking apart the foundations he was standing on with a massive ground-stomp which made the building shake heavily. The thing Shine had been stomping upon happened to be Solrock.

After the smoke whipped up by Solrock's demise had cleared up, Shine was just standing there, breathing heavily while laying flat on top of the now unconcious Solrock. He was near fainting, as well.

"Good job, Shine!" May cheered, but soon after saying that, she got silenced by a second burst of light coming from Lunatone. The Confuse Ray had worn off, it seemed.

Tate started to grin. "You two put up a pretty good fight...but I'm afraid we've got to finish things up now. Liza, if you'd please...?"

"Psycho Boost, Lunatone!"

Brendan turned to May, a frightened look on his face. May returned the look.

"Shine can't take another hit!"

"What should we do?"

"What can we do?"

"...well something, at least!"

"Oooi! You two lovebirds! Hurry up and use your secret technique already!" Razor cried from the sideline. He and Nina were still waving their banner.

"Wonder if they'll manage to pull it off." Nina uttered, holding up her half of the banner. "It'll depend on the cuteness factor."

Brendan and May faced each other, and let their eyes do the talking for a few seconds. Their hands were still linked. Then, something sparked in both Trainers' eyes. Stepping closer to each other, they both extended one linked arm forward, while the two wrapped their other arm around the other's waist, as if they were a tango-dancing couple.

"Shine!" both Trainers them exclaimed, adressing the Lairon. They inhaled, and tried to bring up the courage to shout the following words. They tried switching poses a few times.

While doing so, a faint, heart-shaped light began to shine behind the two of them. The crowd held it's breath. Child, parent and grandparent alike, they all kept quiet and, with high expectations, waited for 'it' to happen.

– – – – –

"They're actually going to do 'it'." Razor mumbled, his mouth wide open.

Nina pushed Razor's jaw back up into his mouth again to prevent the popcorn from falling out.

Wally opened his eyes.

– – – – –

"Psycho Boost!" the twins Liza and Tate cried, already entangled in an unfamiliar pose.

Lunatone let out a bizarre roar, and then fired a huge ball of energy at it's two opponents.

"SHINE, ATTACK!" Brendan and May cried simultaneously while waving their arms, a pink light eminating from them.

The two Trainers were now standing right next to each other, legs spread wide, each with one entangled arm pointing straight forward, the other one raised over their heads, also with fingers entwined. Like this, they resembled a pair of horrible Power Ranger imitators.

"ATTACK!" they roared, a pink heart-shaped light impacting on Shine and enveloping it with a similarly pink aura. The Lairon roared, and sped forward.

"Attack!" Lunatone heard someone yell, and seconds afterwards, his immensively powerfull attack got brushed aside as a bright pink Lairon came charging straight through the Psychic attack. Adorned with a pink hide, sharp pink teeth and dangerously pink claws, Shine threw himself onto Lunatone.

The two Gym leaders cried out their Pokemon's name, but to no avail.

Lunatone's world went all pink and fluffy.

The following explosion would have hurled Brendan and May backwards if they hadn't been holding on to each other like that.

When the smoke had cleared, Lunatone was laying flat on the ground, in the middle of a huge heart-shaped crater. He had been knocked out cold by the initial impact.

"Did we win?" May whispered. She managed to make out Lunatone's unconcious form in the middle of the crater. "...we did it! We did it, Brendan!"

"YEAH!" both of them cried, punching fists into the air.

They had won, they had won, they had won!

And they had done it together.

– – – – –

"My my, that was one heck of a show!" Nina grinned, getting up and walking over to the exit with one hand wrapped around Razor's. "Good job girl, you rocked!"

"Love and peace!" Razor cried, still waving a flag around with one hand before Nina dragged him out of the Gym.

– – – – –

May and Brendan kept holding hands as they conversed:

"Thanks."

"Thanks?"

"Yeah. For what you did. It's al thanks to you that we won."

"Me? You worked just as hard!"

"But..."

Both Trainers chuckled, then looked in each other's eyes.

The crowd drew a long, deep breath as the Trainers' faces moved closer to each other.

Wally went out cold.

– – – – –

I might be pushing my luck here, buuuuuut...please review!

And thanks in advance!


	47. Panic at the Disco

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon. Also, sorry. It's been way too long.

Yes, I'm back at doing this, after postponing things for way too long. Never thought I'd actually get to finish it, to be honest. But, it doesn't hurt to try. Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 47: PANIC AT THE DISCO**

* * *

"Soooo, like, what're we doing here, again?" Brendan asked later that evening.

"Why, we're off to celebrate our victory, of course!" May replied, fiddling with her hair.

"...I feel misplaced, for some reason." Wally mumbled, pulling at the new hairstyle May had enforced on to him minutes earlier. Disco music could be heard in the distance.

It was evening in Mossdeep. After May and Brendan had received their new badges and picked up an unconscious Wally, they had passed by the Pokemon Center and were now heading for the large disco building next to the Gym.

Mossdeep was famous for it's dance clubs, after all.

"...but I still don't get it. What happened back at the Gym?" Wally asked as the trio headed for the club's main entrance.

"Um..." Brendan began, not sure what to say, "We sort of...eh..."

May was blushing. She was slightly too embarrassed to talk about what had happened in the open. The holding hands, hugging and doing stupid poses hadn't been so bad. But Shine being enveloped by pink hearts and delivering what only could be described as an Iron Head Of Love-attack to Lunatone, May considered to be overkill. And lame. Seriously, why the heck did such an attack even exist?

Not to mention that it was all _very_ embarrassing. She coughed, and spoke "We'll...explain later, okay?"

Earlier that evening, the Miror B. Club's two bouncers had refused to let the three Trainers enter on account of not being fashionable enough. So now, after visiting the local shopping center and having May go on a shopping spree, they were all ready for it.

On May's suggestion, Brendan had swapped his normal outfit for a dark blue vest, a nicely adorned belt, black jeans and awful gray sneakers. Initially refusing to take off his headband, Brendan had eventually been forced to do so by May. The Brunette then proceeded to comb his snowy white hair backwards and, with the help of some superglue, somehow managed to let his hair stay in that position.

Oh, and May had insisted that Brendan'd leave at least half of his vest unbuttoned, despite numerous comments like "I don't want to." and "It makes me look like some sort of-"

Along the way, Brendan had been assaulted by at least two groups of rabid fangirls screaming "Vergil! Vergil!" for some strange reason.

Wally had undergone a similar treatment. Dressed in an acid green sleeveless shirt, gray painted jeans and, even though he ab-so-lutely despised them, shiny white sneakers. Wally was dead afraid that someone he knew would see him like this.

His hair now resembled a ravaged, green bird nest rather than his usual coupe. Also done by May, of course. She had even suggested getting him an earring, but Wally declined.

May herself was, in both Brendan and Wally's words, stunning.

Neither of them knew what exactly she had done with her hair, but it had been put into some sort of braid which ended halfway her shoulders and let the rest of her hair flow down her back. Whatever it was, it looked gorgeous on her.

She had even added those tiny sparkling glitter thingies in her hair, along with surprisingly small amounts of make-up applied to her face. Her outfit consisted of a tight chestnut brown top which matched her equally brown hair, white shorts, some random bracelets around her wrists, and sandals.

The top itself was awfully low-cut, too, causing Wally and Brendan to worry about May possibly getting a lung infection or something. As the two looked away while blushing, it caused them to worry about other things, as well.

Brendan looked from May, who was walking up front, to Wally, who returned the look. Both of the boys nodded, a gleam of understanding in their eyes. If anyone tried to do anything even _remotely_ suspicious around May, they'd personally break the guy's freaking jaw.

"You're too slow!" May then yelled at the two from a few meters ahead. Brendan and Wally snapped out of their plotting as May turned around, stepped in between the two young men, and began to forcefully pull them along.

Wally was nervous. _Very_ nervous. Not just about the way his hair looked, nor the way May was pressing his arm firmly against her side, but the fact that they were going to a bloody _disco_.

"I've never danced before." he then suddenly admitted, a bit pale around the cheeks. "And I'm soooo going to make a fool out of myself..."

Brendan scratched his chin. He wasn't much of a dancer, either.

"Hopeless, the two of you. Absolutely hopeless." May sighed, looking from one guy to the other. "Why'd you two want to go there so badly if you can't even dance?"

Brendan rolled his eyes, and replied: "_You're_ the one who wanted to go, not us!"

"Now now Brendan, that's not entirely true." May said, shaking her head. "You need to deliver that – what'sitcalledagain – Cifer Ball, right? It's supposed to happen in the Miror B. Club."

Nervously, Brendan reached for the one yellow-and-black ball attached to his belt, hanging down his rear waist. "I was thinking of going there somewhere afternoon, not during the actually dancing-"

Wally decided to bump into the conversation with a plain and simple question: "May, can you dance?"

"Me? Of course not!"

– – – – –

At the Miror B. Dance Club's entrance, two doormen were standing. Opposite to the usual big, muscular bouncers, these two were rather small and skinny. And despite wearing something vaguely resembling business suits, they had both kept their trademark headgear: they were Trudly and Folly, Miror B.'s loyal henchmen.

"Fufufu, the club's filled to the brim tonight, right Trudly?" one of them snickered.

"You said it, Folly." his companion replied.

"Tonight's a big night, right?"

"Sure is. That guy looking like the guy who looked like a criminal-"

Folly frowned, and crossed his arms. "You mean the bike one?" he asked.

"Yeah, the bike one. Well, his imposter, sort of. He showed up and sold a lot of new things to Miror. Even sold us the bike. So now boss is all happy and had everyone enter for free tonight."

"And whudda ya know, we've got some new guests!"

"Uhuhuh, and one of them looks kind of-"

"Fufufu, just look at the outfit."

"What do you say if we, like, go check if they've got anything fisk-able on them...?"

Wally and Brendan, May walking safely tucked in between them, proceeded to march up the stairs leading to the dance club's main entrance. As one, they raised up their unoccupied arms when the two doormen approached them.

Without as much as batting an eyelash, May's companions both stuck out their index and middle fingers, stabbing Trudly and Folly in the eyes, soon followed by non-lethal knee attacks aimed at the bouncers' groins.

A few seconds thereafter, Folly and Trudly were laying on the ground, clenching their valuables.

"...that's the fifth time this week, Folly."

"I know. What're we doing wrong?"

"D'know."

– – – – –

Once inside, May, Brendan and Wally took a moment to take in the interior – a huge, dome-shaped ceiling allowed for a huge dancing floor with bar seats near the walls. Most of the dance hall's floor was filled by a dancing crowd moving on the beat whilst stretching and bending their limbs in ways previously thought to be impossible.

In the middle of said crowd, a particular guy was standing; the one they had met earlier that day, before entering the Gym. His giant trademark afro swayed to the left and right as he displayed one crazy dance move after another.

Disco lights placed strategically across the ceiling kept doing what they were supposed to do; flashing so fast in every possible direction that anyone looking directly at them was bound to have an epileptic attack.

All the while eardrum-molesting disco music kept blasting the crowd with human rights-violating beats.

"So, um, now what?" Brendan asked, wondering if they actually expected him to step onto that apparently dangerous dance floor, as well.

"We dance, of course!" May cried, proceeding to drag the two guys onto the dance floor.

"Weren't we supposed to get to the bottom of this whole Cipher business? Why're we dancing?" Wally uttered, trying to keep away from the mad crowd moving in every direction around him.

"Easy. We sneak into the back and check the place out." May grinned, eyeing the giant afro-man in the center of the crowd. "He's this place's owner, isn't he? He's bound to have some keys on him."

"...and you expect him to completely fail noticing us checking his pockets for keys." Brendan uttered under his breath, just as the crowd swallowed them whole.

"Don't worry." May smiled, "We're just the distraction."

– – – – –

"All right, men!" Muddy called out, marching up and down alongside the line of Pokemon standing at attention.

"Racism, I say!" Flame interrupted, staring at the Marshtomp with a gaze that could melt steel.

"Lemme rephrase that;" Muddy sighed, waving his arms. "Men and not-men! As you all know, we've been entrusted this mission by the female trainer of this group..."

"More like May just snatched Wally and Brendan's pokeballs when they weren't looking." Alt corrected, sitting atop of Wally's now sleeping Magnemite, Thunder.

Muddy coughed. "Could you guys let me finish here? As I was saying, May gave us this mission. A mission to infiltrate this disco thing while they try to attract attention. Since we're Pokemon, we'll be able to pass unnoticed..."

Flame raised up one arm. "How're we supposed to pass unnoticed?"

"Easy." Muddy grinned, holding up what appeared to be a long, dark blue trench coat. Putting on the coat, which was more than twice the Marshtomp's size, he continued: "We go disguised as this. Me and Flame can sit on top of each other, while Alt can form the head. Alt, you can do human voices, right?"

"Only in songs." Alt the Swablu warned, clearing his throat. "I'll be the artist formerly known as-"

"Okay, okay." Muddy interrupted him, "But I'm going on top. You can be the legs."

– – – – –

"So how's that ice coming along?" Trudly demanded at the bar, clenching his tights. Folly, standing next to him, kept an uneasy eye on the entrance as he asks "Y-you sure we should be leaving the door unguarded like that, Trudly?"

"Sure. No one in their right mind would dare to get in here uninvited!" his partner replies, still clenching the spot where Brendan had kneed him earlier. Now how's that ice coming along? I need it on the- on my rocks!"

As the two conversed, an extremely *unsuspicious* fellow entered the dance hall, dressed in a long blue trenchcoat. Lightly swaying to the left and right, it moved forward...

– – – – –

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again: this is a very, _very_ bad idea." Flame repeated, her knees locked around Muddy's head and Alt perched firmly atop her head in turn.

"It'll work out just fine! Have faith!" Muddy hissed from down below as the two peered through small openings in the coat's zipper. "We have to act inconspicuous though – Alt, go order a drink next to those two neatly-dressed guys!"

"...order what?" Alt squeaked, already blinded by the various disco lights.

"Anything! Ask for the same thing that guy's having!"

– – – – –

"D-dude, was it just me, or did that guy's stomach just _talk_?" Folly whispered to his companion while staring at the man in trenchcoat. The odd fellow wore a top hat, with bits of white hair visible in between the brim of his hat and his upturned collar.

"What'll it be? First drink's on the house tonight" the barman told the guy in coat, one eyebrow raised.

The man coughed once, then began to sing with a sharp, raspy voice "Err, whiskey, gin, and brandy!" soon followed by "With a glass I'm pretty handy..."

"Got it." the barman replied, snatching three bottles from below while the man in the coat continued to mumble "I'm tryin' to walk a straight line, on sour mash and cheap wine..."

"Folly, you said someone was talking?" Trudly asked, looking up from the glass of ice which he had just dropped into his pants. Folly simply blinked twice, then shook his head and replied "Never mind."

– – – – –

"Out of all the plans you've come up with, May..." Brendan sighed as he and Wally got dragged along across the dance floor, "This one's probably the most..."

"Most what?" May asked innocently, firmly keeping her two gentlemen at her sides to deflect any unwanted...attention.

"Most...bizarre." Brendan answered truthfully as he looked up ahead, where Miror B. was standing underneath a disco ball, breaking out one mad dance move after another. A small crowd had formed around him.

"How're we going to attract his attention anyway?" Wally moaned softly, "I mean, we can't even dance-"

A smile crept across May's face. "You think?" she grinned, causing both of the guys to shake their heads in disbelief. Perfectly timed, the two exclaimed "You can't be serious-"

– – – – –

"Dancing queen, ready for action." Kirlia sighed, hanging suspended above the dance floor, his round, sphere-like head disguised as a _disco ball_ out of all things. Zeal had done a great job with the face-paint.

"I repeat, Dancing queen ready for action." the Psychic type spoke again, whispering into Thunder the Magnemite, who had been duck-taped to Kirlia's ear. For some odd reason Kirlia didn't quite understand, Magnemite could be used as portable phones...

Far to his left, balancing atop one of the various light arrays, Sol and Axl were holding the rope from which Kirlia hung. The hound-like Absol had swiftly carried Axl the Bagon up onto the light array, from which they were now tending to Kirlia's rope. The Psychic-Type didn't feel comfortable at all knowing his life was in the hands of someone notorious for causing bad luck, and a violence-prone scotsman.

"Good." Sol replied, carrying his own portable Magnemite-phone, an acquaintance of Thunder. While holding onto the rope, he was staring down at the man with the huge afro, Miror B. Their target.

"Let's go through the plan one more time..." Kirlia sighed, eyes closed and arms held rigid next to his body, trying to appear as disco-ball-y as possible. "I'll jack into the afro-guy's mind and copy his dance moves, feeding them into our trainers' heads. And at the same time, you do...something to the afro-man's luck?"

"Yes." Sol nodded, displaying pointed teeth as he grinned "I'll make him screw up his own moves, making sure he'll have his mind on things other than the key dangling from his belt."

Both Kirlia and Sol turned towards the bar, where an inconspicuous guy in a blue trenchcoat was being served a cocktail the size of a small vase.

"...and while we distract 'em, Team B will swoop in and snatch the keys." Kirlia finishes, sounding a lot less confident than he'd hoped to be.

– – – – –

"Kinda have the feeling we're forgetting about something." Folly admits, finishing his drink. "I mean...standing guard, cool. Did that. Cleaning B's boots...did that. Comb his hair...did that. Didn't we have to, umm...look for something?"

Trudly blinked twice, then remembered "Oh. You mean look out for that Wes guy? Meh. He's probably disguised, so it's no use looking for him. If he's not wearing a disguise, sucks to be him. I'd recognize that white hair and blue coat right away-"

Meanwhile, the blue trenchcoat-wearing man with the white fluffy hair standing next Folly started to cough, having poured his entire cocktail into his lower abdomen when nobody was looking. The coughs, soon followed by a loud burp, appeared to be _coming from his stomach_.

Having eavesdropped on the conversation, the man was softly singing "And now, the end is here..and so I face the final curtain..." while taking slurred steps backwards, away from Trudly and Folly.

"My friends..." he continued, trying to get away from the two as their suspicion grew by the second, "I'll say it clear...I'll state my case...of which I'm certain..."

"You think that's...?" Folly started, while Trudly had already put down his glass and started to chase after the fellow.

– – – – –

"Really like this place." Razor grinned as he and Nina moved across the dance floor, "It's got this whole Vermillion City-vibe, but bigger, if you know what I mean."

"Totally!" Nina agreed with a smile, as light flashed above their heads. "Hey...once we're back in Kanto, think we could rent a boat and-" she added, before being rudely interrupted by a man singing "Regrets? I have a few..." while barging through the crowd.

– – – – –

"...but those, I don't really have to mention." Alt muttered, skipping through the song as they tried to make haste. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the two bouncers gaining on them.

"Muddy, move faster!" Flame hissed, kicking the Marshtomp atop the head as he continued to take slurred steps, having just downed the cocktail Alt ordered in one gulp. As a result, the Water-Type functioning as their legs couldn't even walk in a straight line anymore.

"I'm goooooiiiin'!" Muddy burped, bumping into more bystanders while Alt started to squeak "Yes there were times! I'm sure you two knew! That this time, we, bit off more than we can chew!"

– – – – –

"But through it aaaaall~" some odd guy wailed as he charged past Brendan, May and Wally, who were just about to challenge Miror B. to a dance-off. "When there was doubt~"

"Don't we know that voice from somewhere?" Wally asked, glancing over his shoulder before being nudged in the side by May. The brunette shook her head and hissed "Focus, now. We've only got one shot at this..."

Grabbing both of her gentlemen by the arms, May stepped forward, past the crowd that had formed around the afro-toting disco god. Wally and Brendan exchanged worried glances, which soon turned into frowns of grim determination – dance skills or no dance skills, neither of the two men was going to let the other upstage him, not with May around.

"Afro man! Care for a dance-off?" May shouted with a grin.

– – – – –

"I ate it uuuuuup and spat it out~" a man wailed as he passed underneath Sol's hiding place, balancing atop a light array.

"They're going in!" Sol signaled to Kirlia, leering down. The Absol's eyes started to glow as he fixed his gaze upon the afro man. "Get ready!"

"Got it." Kirlia replied, turning his mind into knives.

– – – – –

"I faced it all~ And I stood tall~ And did it myyyyyyyy waaaaay-" Alt finished just as drunken Muddy tripped over his own feet and slammed into the nearest person. Who also happened to be wearing a dark blue coat.

As soon as the three slammed into the floor face-first, Flame hissed "Alt! Use your Mist or something!" to which the Swablu immediately responded by coating their coat in a flimsy dark haze, allowing them to merge with the dance floor. While Flame and Alt held their breath, and Muddy began to snore, they listened as Trudly and Folly's footsteps drew closer.

The trenchcoat-wearing man turned around, discarding his drink and taking off his glasses while grinning widely. A horizontal white stripe seemed to adorn the man's face...

"I'm here to reclaim what's mine." Wes announced, leering at Folly and Trudly with an intimidating grin."My bike, and a whole bunch of shadow pokemon. Bet you guys know where I can find those, don't you?"

As one man, Trudly and Folly turned around, and ran.

– – – – –

Please, do review ;)


	48. Disco Inferno

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**CHAPTER 48: DISCO INFERNO**

* * *

Vivid displays of lights flashed all across the dance floor as May and her companions stepped forward, past the crowd that had formed around Miror B. and into the empty circle, approaching him. The floor was trembling from the deep bass beats resonating throughout the dance hall. Wally felt a little sick.

"Afro man! Care for a dance-off?" May shouted with a grin, facing the afro-toting man.

"Afro man? The name's Miror B., little girl!" he corrected her, wiping one hand through his huge white-and-red afro whose colours were divided by a vertical line, resembling a pokeball on it's side. The man was wearing a blazing white outfit with purple rims and equally purple sunglasses. A huge golden belt adorned his belt, and a set of keys dangled from the side of said belt...

"Miror B. - remember that name! It's a name of fame, opposite to yours, girl, which is probably lame...but whatever, I'm game!" Miror B. grins, tapping the sides of his sunglasses while widening his dance area with a flick of the wrist. Snapping his fingers, all of the spotlights in the room got redirected at the three trainers and their opponent, who was already tapping his foot.

"Let's get this thing under way – and let the music play!"

– – – – –

"They've already started! What're you waiting for?" Sol demanded, glancing at upside-down disco-ball Kirlia, who was apparently doing nothing at all.

"Just a sec..." Kirlia replied, as he turned his mind into knives. Thin, sharp, long knives which he then carefully drove into the minds of Miror B. and about a dozen bystanders, linking them together to serve as a database of sorts. Holding the accumulated dance knowledge of fifteen people in his grasp, the Psychic-Type then searched out the minds of his three trainers.

Eyes closed in concentration, the Psychic-Type resembling a disco ball clenched his fists, turning this mass of knowledge into three projectiles. With a single stroke, he then jammed the needle-shaped knowledge pools straight into Wally, May and Brendan's frontal cortexes.

– – – – –

"Let the music _play_!" Miror B. shouted, striking a pose, one arm pointed straight upwards.

At that particular moment, Mey, Brendan and Wally's eyes flashed as years of dancing experience flooded into their brains. Without even comprehending their movement, the three functioned purely on instinct as they struck poses. May spread her arms to the side as Brendan and Wally both turned 90 degrees sideways and took up positions to her left and right, arms crossed and heads bobbing to the beat.

Taking a single step forward, to which her two companions responded by stepping sideways, May began: "Play? Oh, hey? Get the dancing underway? Well that's A-o-kay, but I really should say - that the game you're 'bout to play, is versus Wally! Brendan! May!"

When each one of them took a step forward the moment May called out their names, Brendan began to wonder: what exactly, in Lugia's name, were they doing?

– – – – –

Sweatdrops were leaking down the disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Of course, said disco ball was in truth Kirlia's head, eyes closed in concentration. Kirlia couldn't control the dance movements of all three trainers at the same time, he could only feed them the data necessary to move as they needed to – to give them the dancing skills they required.

"Wait – they're dancing? Actually _dancing_?" Sol asked in bewilderment, watching from his spot on the light arrays. The Absol was having trouble believing his own eyes as he saw the three trainers advanced towards Miror B. in turns, each of the three having pulled dancing skills from out of nowhere.

"Aye, seems loike it. Dunnae 'ow, though." Axl replied as he saw Brendan jump, land, spin around on his heel, sink into a crouch while doing so, then wink at the bystanders the moment his momentum failed, before leaping up again. Raising up his right hand, the white-haired trainer high-fived Wally, who immediately rolled forward, shot upwards, then began flailing his arms about.

"And is _that-_?" Sol gasped, blinking furiously as he saw Wally extract gasps from the crowd.

"Aye, could be." Axl nodded, also unwilling to believe it.

"Nev'r thought Oi'd live ta see the day, but it seems he's act'ally doin' the macarena roight."

– – – – –

Despite all the lights, sweat and the crowd having become a blur, Brendan was keeping a close eye on Wally. For reasons he didn't quite want to admit yet, he didn't want to be upstaged by the green-haired trainer in here, no matter what. Most of those reasons had a lot to do with the brown-haired trainer standing in between them.

Meanwhile, May had already joined in on Wally's improvised version of the macarena, flailing her buttocks from side to side while doing so. Not wanting to be left out, Brendan joined in as well, slowly but surely pressing Miror B. backwards as their feet synchronically tapped the floor.

"Oh-ho-ho, not bad, I'll give you that – now let me show you them moves that makes your eyeballs go *splat*!" Miror B. cried, changing the music with a snap of his fingers before launching into a whirl of flailing arms and hair. With but one simple pelvic thrust, Miror B. invoked the spirit of the long-since-passed King of Rock 'n Roll, then proceeded to lay waste to his opponents.

– – – – –

"Sol! What're you doing?" Kirlia hissed into the Magnemite-phone, seeing how Miror B. was overpowering their three trainers all on their own. "Weren't you supposed to cause afro-guy bad luck?"

"I don't know!" the Absol replied, despair clearly audible in his voice, "No matter how much I stare, I can't cause this guy bad luck! His funk is too strong!"

– – – – –

Regardless of them being curb stomped or not, Wally was in the lead! Brendan would have none of this!

Using all of his newly acquired dancing skills, Brendan channeled the Beastie Boys' Intergalactic Planetary in an attempt to counter Miror B.'s dance moves. Moving low, sinking through his knees while using wide arm movements, the talents of rapping somehow, inexplicably crept into his brain.

"Well don't you tell me to stop!" Brendan shouted, pointing one finger at Miror B. while striking a pose, "Just look over here, 'cause you're in for a shock – you might have the hair but know nothin' 'bout rock – we've got all the moves now make your fingers go pop – stop! Rock! Hip hop!"

Words stuck in the back of his throat, Miror B. sought for the moves and lyrics necessary to counter this vocal onslaught. However, all his throat managed to produce was a faint "No- wait what?"

"Better listen 'cause I've got some rhymes to drop!" Wally interjected, stepping up next to Brendan, not allowing his rival to take the spotlight, "Now turn up the volume 'n hold onto your socks!"

"'cause I'm ready to rock and got some heads to knock!" Brendan bellowed, trying to regain control as he attempted to stay ahead of Wally.

"Now I'm in the house and you're fresh outta luck!" Wally cut him off. The two crossed eyes for a second, confirming to each other that they were more concerned with outperforming each other rather than outperforming Miror B.

"Chop?" Brendan inquired, soon followed by a "Whop!" from Wally, after which the two clicked heels and shouted "Won't stop!"

Meanwhile, May simply stood in the back, somewhat flabbergasted. She had been prepared to run the show on her own, knowing that the two guys weren't exactly...party people, so to say.

Which made it all the more surprising that Wally and Brendan were now actually _taking the initiative_, facing off against Miror B. in what appeared to be a mix of dance and rap battle. They were doing quite well actually, and causing the public's eye to become completely focused on them.

"So proud." she simply smiled while bobbing her head to the beat, her fierce grin discouraging the spectators to interfere with the battle.

– – – – –

"Keep going – take a left! Now right!" Alt hissed as he directed Flame through the crowd. Having stuffed a drunk and therefore useless Muddy underneath a bench, the two Pokemon had now ventured out on their own, still wearing that blue trenchcoat as a disguise.

But without a certain Marshtomp acting as feet, Flame and Alt's disguise barely reached the other dancers' waists. Which made being trampled a very real threat.

"Feet. Hurting." Flame hissed, her bird-like feet being sore and painful from having many a dancer's foot step on them.

But Alt, having already found their afro-toting target, simply told the Combusken to keep going: "Keep on rollin' – we're almost there! I can see them!"

– – – – –

Shoulder to shoulder, Wally and Brendan were firing off rhymes, both facing Miror B. whilst dancing and rapping. The two had occasionally glared at each other, unwilling to grant each other even the slightest bit of spotlight.

Ripping open his shirt, which managed to produce one raised eyebrow from May, Wally shouted "Keep your eyes open - make it worth your while!"

"Gonna unwind - make the lady smile!" Brendan countered, crouching, roaming one hand through his swept-back hair.

"Gonna go wild – I'm that versatile!" Wally reaffirmed, striking a pose with his arms spread.

Wagging a finger at Miror B., Brendan added "And if you think you stand a chance you're in denial!"

"The whole mile!" Wally boomed, dropping into a crouch, arms folded across his chest.

"Go wild!" Brendan called out, also sinking through his knees, but with his hands on his knees.

"Got style!" the two spoke at the same time, now standing back to back, both with their heads turned 90 degrees, towards Miror B.

At this point in time, the master of the disco was sweating profoundly.

Here he was, at his very own dancing hall, on his home turf, being _outperformed_ by some lame bunch of kids-

Interrupting his trail of thought, Miror B.'s two henchmen, Trudly and Folly, came charging through the crowd, apparently on the run from something. Folly was gasping "He's here! He's here!" while Trudly hissed "Boss! We need to talk!"

"Good! You're right on time! Now help me beat their asses while I'm looking so fine!" Miror B. blurted, grabbing Folly and Trudly by their collars and immediately drafting the two into his own dance group. Whatever they were trying to tell him could wait 'till later – right now, he had a dance-off to win.

– – – – –

"Almost there..." Alt muttered, slowly approaching Miror B. from behind while he hissed things into his henchmen's ears. Flame began to reach out, only to draw her arm back the moment afro man charged forward and erupted in chanter.

– – – – –

Stepping forward on his platform soles, the man with a giant pokeball afro towered over Brendan and Wally. With a click of his heels, and a sniff of the nose, he spoke "Now I do want ta tell you boys – you better get ready!"

"'cause Miror B. is in da house, it's goin' ta get sweaty! Get heavy - and messy! Now hold steady." he added before letting himself fall backwards, his two loyal henchmen catching him by the shoulder and back, allowing Miror B. to make a handless 360 backflip.

His apparent comeback, however, got disturbed by infighting coming from Brendan and Wally. The two were still standing back to back, but something had changed. They weren't addressing Miror B. anymore, for one. In fact, the two were trying to push one another off stage.

"Dude, step back, think you're high profile?" Brendan groaned through clenched teeth.

"Only if you stop acting like a child!" Wally retorted, upping the pressure.

"Don't give me that - you're acting infantile!" Brendan hissed angrily, also pushing harder.

"Yeah you're a paragon of friendship - putting me in exile!" Wally grunted furiously, slamming his shoulder into Brendan's back. To anyone else, this appeared to be a calculated dance move.

"Wow - that's foul." Brendan countered, slamming his back into Wally, knocking him off balance.

"No style!" Wally roared, releasing his pent-up emotions. What had occurred during today's Gym battle had been to much for the boy, and he was going to vent some of that anger.

"You really like the lady yet you're in denial! You'd better keep it real - rank and file!"

A blood vein popped up on Brendan's forehead as he heard Wally say this. Where in the nine hells did he get the _guts_ from to tell _him_-

"When'd your balls drop? It took you a while!" Brendan roared just as the two rammed their backs together once more. This time however, something went horribly wrong.

An awfully loud 'crack' could be heard as something dangling down Brendan's belt got squashed, and came tumbling down. At once, the two trainers looked down, just in time to see the black-and-yellow-coloured pokeball fall to the floor.

As it hit the floor, the Cipher pokeball broke in two, and a black shadow emerged from it, rushing up towards the ceiling before fully materializing.

"...oops." Wally and Brendan muttered simultaneously as they looked up, glowing red eyes indicating the place where the shadow beast was residing.

Letting out an awfully high-pitched, shriek, the black shadow began slashing to the left and right. It began to rain glass and electrical wire. Soon, entire light arrays came crashing down.

The entire crowd erupted into chaos.

– – – – –

"...Axl, did I ever tell you I'm afraid of bugs?" Sol whispered.

"Nae." Axl answered, also unusually quiet. "But I c'n und'rstand yer sentiments." the Bagon added as the two Pokemon held still.

Right in front of them, atop the light array, balanced a huge black velociraptor-like beast, with scythes instead of arms, fangs the size of knives, wings, and red glowing eyes. The kind of creature you only saw in nightmares, basically.

"...ye think it c'n see us?" Axl hissed as the creature stared at them with it's red eyes, estimating it's prey.

"I...think it can see us, yes. Try not to look tasty." Sol squeaked as the monstrosity moved closer and sniffed it's prey.

"Sol. The beastie's sniffin' me." Axl groaned, starting to get irritated while the beast sniffed the Bagon's head, apparently not liking the odour.

"Axl, whatever you do..." Sol began, a weird tickling sensation in his stomach announcing what was about to happen. "Don't make any sudden movements-"

"_He's_ _sniffin' me without me consent_!" Axl rumbled as he launched himself forward, "No one's sniffin' me on my watch!" while bashing his head into the beast's snout.

For Sol, the entire world appeared to be slowing down as he reached out, clenching his jaw around Axl and leaping away, half a second before the beast's sword-like arm slashed the light array in twine.

Leaping from one metal light array onto the next, with a screaming and swearing Bagon in his mouth, the Absol dared not to look around. The buzzing sounds of wings and iron being cleaved was enough to indicate that the monstrosity was right on their tail.

Close by, a faint "Nooooo~" alerted Sol to the fact that he had in fact abandoned the rope keeping Kirlia suspended, causing the Psychic-Type to come crashing down. However, a draft of wind awfully close to the Absol's buttocks, probably caused by the beast's slashes, made Sol focus on the task at hand: running for his life.

In truth, the Absol was only chased for about five seconds before a Beedrill came flying in and bashed the beast into a wall.

"En Garrrrrde!" it buzzed while parrying the first scythe-slash with one of his forearm stingers, clashing blades right above the ever increasingly chaotic crowd.

– – – – –

"A shiny Scyther – awesome!" Razor cried as he watched his Beedrill exchange blows with the shadow beast above their heads. "Sting, be careful! I want to to catch it!"

"Razooor! You told me this place would be _fun_!" Nina complained, hanging onto her boyfriend's arm as they waded through the chaotic crowd. "We came here to have fun – _together_!"

"Well I'm having fun." Razor simply reasoned with a calming voice while everyone around them screamed. Holding still, the blonde-haired trainer pondered for a second, then suggested "...you wanna try catching it then, Nina?" which only earned him an agitated whack on the head.

– – – – –

"By Jirachi's underpants - what the _hell_ is going on?" Miror B. screeched as his hands inspected his hair - a deep-vertical slash had caused his afro to be split in two, hanging down the sides of his head.

"Umm, boss, we tried ta warn ya." Folly whispered, staring at the floor. His partner Trudly added "We saw the Wes guy – came running here to tell ya about it, but-"

Smoke appeared to be spiraling upwards from the gash in Miror B.'s hair – either the Scyther's blades were superheated, or the afro-toting man was experiencing a meltdown. Most likely the latter. With a loud shriek, he plunged both hands into his afro, pulling out four pokeballs.

– – – – –

As bits of metal and plastic shards continued to rain down from the ceiling while the Shadow Scyther did battle with a Beedrill, the three trainers regrouped, standing back to back.

"This is all your fault!" Brendan shouted over the sound of people screaming, blades clashing, and the ever-continuing music.

"Well what'd you want me to do about it? You're the idiot who brought this beast here!" Wally countered, looking up to see the Beedrill counter the Scyther's single-handed slash with both stingers, then push his opponent's blade sideways with one stinger while parrying a second slash with the other.

"Could you two shut it?" May interjected, smacking both of the guys on the back of their heads, "We're in the middle of a building filled with people and a blood-thirsty monster, without our pokemon!"

And at that particular moment, Kirlia came dropping from the sky, landing right in Wally's arms.

"By Celebi- Kirlia! Are you okay?" Wally cried, hurriedly wiping the disco paint off the Psychic Type's face. Kirlia appeared to be out cold – but Thunder, duck-taped to the side of his head, was just fine.

"Okay. I'm armed." Wally hissed, freeing Thunder the Magnemite from his constraints.

At the same time, Flame jumped out of hiding, casting aside her trenchcoat in mid-air and landing right in front of May, striking a fighting pose. Alt, still perched atop the Combusken's head, had closed his eyes tightly and was shaking, holding on for dear life.

If it weren't for the fact that all bystanders were currently running for their lives, one might've noticed that the Combusken appeared to be wearing a large fluffy white hat.

"Seems like I'm ready to go, too." May grinned, asking Flame about the result of their mission with a simple twitch of the eyebrow. The Fire-type shook her head.

A loud "AHA!" alerted the three trainers to the approach of a certain white-haired trenchcoat-wearing Trainer, Wes, as he came charging towards, then straight past them. Trudly and Folly, as one man, turned around and began to run, abandoning their boss.

"There you two are – you've got a bike with my name on it!" Wes shouted, not even paying the slightest hint of attention to Miror B. as he began to chase his henchmen.

With the dance floor nearly empty, and having far surpassed the point of meltdown, Miror B. pointed both of his hands at Brendan, Wally and May. Each of these hands was holding two pokeballs. "I've had enough! You get out of my dance hall _right now_!"

Miror B.'s hands flashed, releasing four angry-looking Ludicolo from their containers. One of which immediately got face-planted when Sol landed on top of his head, nimbly jumped off, and delivered a slimy, cursing bundle of Bagon - Axl – to his trainer.

– – – – –

Far above the trainers' heads, the battle continued. Having pushed a certain Absol off a light array the moment he got slammed into it by a Beedrill, the Shadow Scyther shrieked and tried to balance atop said light array.

The Beedrill kept buzzing in circles, unwilling to stay in one place and become an easy target for the shadow monster.

Shrieking again, the Scyther lunged forward, hopping from one array to the next, causing them to come crashing down the moment he kicked off, rushing towards the Beedrill. Slashing the air with one of his blade, the Scyther flung a slicing blast of wind at his opponent, which the Beedrill only narrowly evaded. Instead, it ripped a clear hole into the wall behind it.

Now roaring, the red-eyed monster locked blades with Sting the Beedrill once more – the Poison-Type immediately responded by jabbing his third, abdominal stinger at his opponent. Functioning purely on reflex, the Scyther disengaged, feet slamming into a pillar as he gathered the momentum for another lunge.

– – – – –

"Bring it!" the three Trainers shouted, Brendan and Wally exchanging angry looks as they did so.

With Flame, Axl and Thunder, they were ready for anything this guy could throw at them.

Anything, except for maybe a triple Ludicolo Hydro Pump aimed right at their faces.

Tackled just in time by Sol, whom of course had seen this coming, the three trainers felt the torrent of water pass right over their heads, blasting a clear hole into the building's dome-shaped ceiling. Flame and Thunder had dodged the attack, while Axl was wiping the water out of his eyes, apparently unfazed.

"Everyone okay-" Brendan called out, just as a rumbling sound spurned everyone who was still present on the dance floor to look up.

The ceiling collapsed.

– – – – –

Please review!


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